


Sleepy Hollow: The Unofficial Season 5

by Sleepyhead222



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 61,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepyhead222/pseuds/Sleepyhead222
Summary: After saving the president of the United States from madman Malcom Dreyfuss, Ichabod Crane has finally gotten his U.S. citizenship. He’s even registered to vote! Everything is going good for him. Then everything changes. Abigail Mills has come back from the dead. Abbie wakes up in Washington D.C. with little memory of how she got there, but she seems to know more than she claims. As she struggles with her memory and sanity, Crane, Jenny, and the team try to find out how she came back and what she’s hiding. As new threats come to light, and old enemies reemerge, the team must figure out what's wrong with Abbie before she goes completely mad...
Relationships: Ichabod Crane/Abbie Mills
Comments: 20
Kudos: 14





	1. Abbie? Is It Really You?

Episode 1: Abbie? Is It Really You?

Professor Neil Bryson reached for his glasses on his desk as he sits upright in his chair as a student pops her head in.  
“Professor Bryson?”  
“Come in Maggie.”  
“Hi. I was just bringing you my history paper.” Maggie says as she hands it to him.  
“Yes, thank you. I look forward to reading what you have to say about the deities.” Bryson says.   
“Oh, I was completely enthralled. The research I found blew my mind. Your class on the history of ancient God and Goddess has completely changed my view of ancient history, for the good.”  
Bryson chuckles. “Well I’m glad to hear that. I’ll hand these back in class today.”  
“Okay. See ya then.” Maggie says as she leaves.  
Professor Bryson swivels his chair to grab the folder of other papers when he hears his office door open again.  
“Did you forget something Maggie?” Professor Bryson turns around, but it’s not Maggie he sees. It’s Death.   
“No…”  
The Horseman of Death lowers his axe in his hand and begins walking towards him. Professor Bryson puts his hands up, stopping Death with a spell.  
“I put her down eons ago. You are no match.” Professor Bryson says to him.  
Fighting against his power, Death lifts his axe and throws it at Professor Bryson. Bryson’s hands lower and his body falls to the ground as his head rolls from his shoulders.   
Death grabs the Professor’s head and makes his way back to his horse.  
Maggie comes back.   
“Professor, I forgot to ask you—Professor?”   
Maggie notices the Professor’s hand sticking out from behind the desk. She slowly walks towards it, only to find his headless, lifeless body.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I open my eyes and see that I’m not in my bed anymore. I’m not even in my house anymore. I’m on hard ground, staring up at a ceiling of rock. I slowly sit up, which makes me dizzy. Looking around, I see I’m in a cave.   
“What?” I say as I get up slowly.  
Where the hell am I?  
After wandering around for what feels like hours, I finally make my way out of the cave…and walk right into a cop.  
“Whoa. What were you doing in there? It’s not even open yet.”  
“Uh…” I say, partially due to the blinging early morning sun and partially due to not having an answer.   
“Are you drunk Miss?” The officer asks.  
“No…I’m just a bit disoriented. What…uh…what year is it?” I ask, trying my best to sound like I’m not crazy or anything.  
“Alright, Miss. Come on. Let’s take a trip to the station.” The officer says and grabs my arm.   
“Wait, but, no seriously, what year is it?”  
He looks at me. “It’s Thursday, July 3rd, 2019. We’re just outside of Washington D.C.”  
Washington D.C.? I mull over this as the cop puts me in the back of his squad car. July 3rd sounds so familiar. I can’t for the life of me figure out why that date is so important. I let it go for the time being to focus on the more pressing matter. I’m back. I’m finally back in the real world. In Washington D.C. I have to find Crane and Jenny. I have to see them.  
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when the door opens and the cop pulls me out the car.   
“Seriously, I don’t know why I’m here. I didn’t do anything.”  
“Well, you were trespassing and you seem to be under the influence, so why don’t you sober up here before I let you go.” He says, walking me into the station.  
“Okay, I’m a cop and I know you can’t keep me for long. I’m not high or drunk, okay.”  
“But you were trespassing.”   
“No one’s pressing charges.”  
“It’s still closed to the public for the time being. Where’s your badge if you’re a cop?” He asks.  
Damn it, he got me there. “Look. My name is Abbie Mills. My partner is Ichabod Crane. Fine him and he’ll confirm who I am.”  
“Sure, I’ll look for this guy. In the meantime…” He opens a cell door. I step in.  
“This is bullshit.” I say as he closes and locks the door.   
“Look, you’ll be outta here shortly. In the meantime, I gotta do my job.” He says then walks away.  
I sigh and take a seat on the bench and mull over the date. July 3rd. July 3rd. Why does it sound so familiar? That’s when it hits me: July 3rd is the day we took on the Hidden one. The day Pandora doubled crossed us. The day I died.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
The Basilisk screeches loudly as it runs into the trap we’ve created out in the woods it haunted. We gathered mirrors in a circle so that the creature would see its own reflection. The screeches cut off.   
“You think it’s dead?” Master Jake asks.   
“I don’t know. Why don’t you go check?” Miss Lara replies.   
“I’ll check.” I say.   
Slowly, I approach the circle of mirrors. Throwing a piece of cloth over the Basilisk’s head, I slowly approach it. Then I slowly remove the cloth. The creature’s eyes are closed and it’s not moving.   
“I’d say it’s dead.” I say.  
“Great. Jake and I’ll get started on getting rid of its body.” Miss Alex says.  
“You’re lucky that thing didn’t get you with its tail.” Miss Jenny says.  
She tries to say it with a bit of snark, but I can hear the undertone of her worry. Ever since I told the team about me selling my sold for the Philosopher’s stone, Miss Jenny’s been on edge. Her concern makes me feel guilty. I did what I had to do to get the Stone, but when I first told the team, Miss Jenny was livid. She wouldn’t speak to me for a whole day. When she finally came down from her anger, she admitted to me that she was scarred. She lost her love and her sister on the same day and then a year later I sold my soul. If I die, then devil owns me. She confessed to me that she didn’t want to lose me as she sees me as the only family she has left. To which I told her she is the only family I have as well.   
“Please. I was too quick for it.” I say, trying to lighten her mood.  
She smiles.   
My phone rings. “Hello?”  
“Mr. Crane. It’s Agent Jones. There’s been a beheading. Broad axe, heated to approximately 450 degrees. And the head is missing.”  
“Location?”  
“The George Washington University.”  
After getting the address from Agent Jones, I thank him and hang up.  
“There’s been a beheading at the George Washington University.” I say.  
“Headless?” Miss Jenny asks.  
“It would seem.”  
“Okay, you, Lara, and Diana go. I’ll help Jake and Alex dispose of the Basilisk then we’ll meet back and the Vault.” Miss Jenny says.  
I nod and Miss Lara and Agent Thomas and I head to the car.  
“Headless has been quite for years. Why strike now?” Miss Lara asks, when we’re in the car.  
“I don’t know, but I have a feeling we’re about to find out.” I say as we make our way across town to the George Washington University.   
Showing our badges to the officers already at the scene, Miss Lara, Agent Thomas, and I are allowed behind the police tape to the crime scene. Professor Neil Bryson’s body is outlined just behind his desk. His head was not found with his body. As we look around the office, I notice there’s no sign of a struggle. I head back out of the building as the EMT’s load Professor Bryson’s body into the car. I notice a young woman standing near the scene with a few other people who have gathered behind the tape. Unlike the group of people, she’s not standing behind the tape. I go to talk to her.  
“Excuse me, Miss?”  
“Yes?”  
“Were you close to the deceased?” I ask, noticing her tear-stained eyes.  
“He was my professor. I’m the one who called the police.” She says.  
“I know you’ve been through a great ordeal, but if you could tell me what happened?”  
“I came to his office around six this morning to turn in a paper. We exchanged a few words about his class, then I left. I only came back to ask him if his T.A. position was still open. That’s when I found his body. I just don’t get who would do something like this. Professor Bryson was loved by the entire University. Seriously, no one had a bad thing to say about him. I just don’t understand who would kill him like that, and then take his head.”  
“I’m sorry that you had to see that. Thank you for your testimony.” I say.  
I see Agent Thomas and Miss Lara exit the building and I go to them.  
“Killing someone is one thing, Headless is the Horseman of Death, but why take the head?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“I agree. It’s very strange.” I say.  
“There has to be a purpose behind it. Perhaps he has someone pulling the strings again.” Miss Lara says.  
“We should head back to the Vault to see if Jake, Jenny, and Alex know more about our professor.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Could it be that Headless is trying to make another point about his head being gone?” Miss Lara asks once we’re in the car.  
“No, I don’t think so,” Agent Thomas says. “It’s been three years since his head has been gone. I think he’s over that. It’s like you said, there has to be someone pulling his strings.”  
“But who? We’ve gone three years without a big baddie running the show. Who could it be now?”   
“That is the question, Miss Lara.”   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Hopefully, they’re having better luck than us.” Miss Lara says as we enter the Agency.  
We’re greeted by the receptionist, Miss Stevie.   
“Good morning ladies. Mr. Crane. Oh, Mr. Crane your name was mentioned over the way. An Officer McAdams would like you to give him a call.”  
“Thank you, Miss Stevie.” I say.  
“No problem. That’s my job.” She replies, with a smile.  
I smile at her as Miss Lara, Agent Thomas, and I make our way to the Vault.   
Only, once we get there, Miss Alex confesses that she, Miss Jenny, and Master Jake didn’t find anything on their end either.  
“We even searched the professor’s house. There was nothing; the guy’s clean.” Miss Alex says.  
“From what we gathered; he was just a regular history professor.” Master Jake says.   
“Great. So, we have nothing.” Agent Thomas says.  
“No, we’re missing something.” I say.   
“Crane’s right. I mean, when we went to the professor’s house, it was too clean. And Headless doesn’t do random. There’s a connection there somewhere.” Miss Jenny says.  
“I can have Jill comprise a file of everything known about the professor. His hobbies, the places he’s visited, people he’s talked to. Maybe we’ll find something we’ve missed.” Miss Alex says.  
“Good Idea.” I say.  
“Jake you might wanna get the menus out; it’s gonna be a long day of research.” Miss Jenny says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“So, what do you make of the case?” Agent Thomas asks as we make our rounds for the night, patrolling the streets for anything unusual.   
This has been our normal ever since we bested Malcom Dreyfuss and two of the four housemen. Instead of some greater evil running the show, we’ve just been monster hunting, taking down the terrors of the night.   
“I don’t know. I agree with Miss Jenny that Headless doesn’t do random but…we still haven’t been able to find a connection between the two.”  
After searching through all the records and researches about Professor Neil Bryson and finding nothing, we decided to call it a day around late evening. We agreed that perhaps we’d find something with fresh eyes tomorrow.  
“It does seem strange.” Agent Thomas agrees.  
“Perhaps tomorrow will be better.”  
“Yeah…but, anyway, how are you?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well…I know what today is. I asked Jenny earlier and meant to ask you but we got sidetracked. So, how are you?”  
“I’m…managing. It’s no easier today, than it was three years ago, but…I’m pushing through it. Her memory gives me the strength to continue on.”  
“I told Jenny and I’m telling you too: I’m here for you. We all are.”  
“I know.”  
“I’m serious Crane. We’re here. Even Molly.”  
I smile. “I apricate it and I hope you know how much I value your presence.”  
Agent Thomas smiles.  
“By the way, how is Molly? It feels like ages since she’s been to the Vault.”  
“She’s good. She’s definitely hit that rebellious teenage stage.”  
“I can’t believe she’s already fifteen. It seems like just yesterday when we threw her eleventh birthday party.”  
“Yeah, time flies.” Agent Thomas says as she pulls into a Starbucks. “I’m gonna get a coffee. Want anything?”  
“No thank you. I shall await you return in the car.” I say.   
As Agent Thomas gets out the car and goes into the store, I listen to the officers’ chatter over the police scanner.   
“Anything new over at 14th, Jason?”  
“Nah. I do have a lady here claiming to be a cop. Can’t find her partner though.”  
“What’s her name?”  
“Abbie Mills.”  
I sit up straighter. Abbie? Did he say Abbie?  
Agent Thomas comes back.  
“Agent Thomas, we have to go to Precinct 14.” I say as she gets in the car.  
“Why? What’s wrong?”  
“An officer said there was a woman they were holding. An Abbie Mills.”  
“Crane, you know that’s impossible.”  
“Impossible’s not a word in our world. Anything is possible when we’re involved.”  
“Crane, that officer didn’t say Abbie.”  
“Agent Thomas—”  
“Because Abbie isn’t just dead. Abbie’s gone. And her essence was passed on to Molly and now Lara. I mean, what were we just talking about?”  
“I know what I heard. Now, either you drive to the precinct or I do, but I would like go.”  
“Crane—”  
“Agent Thomas, please.”  
She hesitates for a moment before relenting.   
“Okay.”  
As Agent Thomas drives to Precinct 14, I try not to get my hopes up. I mean, Abbie’s been gone for three years. Why come back now? What would even cause her to come back? On the other hand, she did say that we’d see each other again someday. Maybe this is it. When we get there, I’m quick to enter the building with Agent Thomas on my heels.   
“Excuse me, was there a woman brought in here by the name of Abbie Mills?” I ask the man at the front desk.   
“Yeah, I don’t know. We get a lot of people in here.” The officer replies in a bored voice.   
I sigh. “Well, does an officer McAdams work here?” I forgot that I was supposed to call this McAdams back but I do remember the name.   
“Look man, I just started here. I don’t know anyone. Just go check the back, down that way. That’s where the cells are.”   
Some people really are just terrible at their jobs. I start to give this man a piece of my mind but decide better and, instead, follow his directions to the cells. As we walk down the hall, I see most are empty. But, in the back, there is a lone woman sitting in a cell. I rush to it.   
“Abbie?”  
The woman looks up, but it’s not Abbie. She’s a much older, white woman. With how she’s curled up on the bench, I could only see her black hair.   
“Oh. My…my apologies. I thought you were someone else.” I say.   
I begin to retreat from the cell and Agent Thomas follows me.   
“Crane.”  
“I thought for sure I heard Abbie Mills over the radio.”  
Agent Thomas sighs. “Or, maybe you just got it in your head because we were talking about her. Perhaps your emotions were playing tricks on you. You did say that her absence is still hard for you.”  
“But I could swear he said her name.”  
“Listen, why don’t we go back to your place? We’ll order takeout and watch a bunch of comedies. We can even make a family night of it.”   
I nod. “Yes, that…that sounds pleasant.”   
“C’mon. Let’s go.”  
I had wanted so badly for it to be Abbie. I could have sworn that’s what the man said. But Agent Thomas is right. My mind is playing tricks on me to cope with Abbie’s death. Like it or not, Abbie is gone, and I won’t see her again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“C’mon McAdams. I’ve been here all day.”  
“Hey, don’t blame me. Your “partner” is nowhere to be found. Are you sure he’s even real? And, you know, impersonating an officer is a federal offence.”  
“I am an officer of the law and he does exist. You aren’t trying hard enough to find him.”  
“Look, just sit tight alright. I’ll be back a little later.”  
I sigh and kick one of the bars of the cell before sitting back on the bench.  
“Thank you for bringing me to my senses, Agent Thomas.” I hear someone say.  
I know that voice. I get up and go to the bars, looking out of them.  
“That’s what friends are for.” The woman says.  
“And I deeply appreciate your friendship.” The voice says again.   
The both come into view, walking the opposite way of my cell. Though it’s only his back, I could tell those boots, that jacket, and that hair from anywhere. It’s Crane.   
“Crane? Crane!” I call out.  
He turns around and his eyes find mine.   
“Abbie?” Crane asks as he comes to stand in front of me, with the woman on the side of him. “My God, Abbie, is it really you?”  
“I don’t know how, but yes. Crane it’s really me.”  
He stares into my eyes, trying to determine if I’m telling the truth.   
“Hey, how’d you get back here?” Officer McAdams asks as he rounds the corner.   
“Let her out.” Crane says to him.  
“Just who do you think you are buddy?”  
Crane and the woman both show him their badges. “My name is Ichabod Crane and this is my partner Agent Thomas. Now you open this cell and let her out.”  
“I thought you said he was your partner.” McAdams says to me.  
“You see, we’re allowed to have more than one partner. Benefits of being a detective.” I say snidely.   
Crane turns to him. “I’m not going to ask you again.”  
“Don’t take that tone with me buddy. If you’d called me back, she’d have been outta here earlier.” McAdams says as he opens the cell.   
“Okay, why don’t I sign her out?” The woman—Agent Thomas—says to McAdams, while looking at me like I'm something strange.  
“Yeah, yeah. Follow me.”   
Crane embraces me immediately. He pulls back slightly, but doesn’t let me go. Instead, he clasps my cheeks, leans in, and kisses me. Like, full on mouth-on-mouth kiss. He keeps it innocent but it’s a lingering kiss. He pulls away just before Agent Thomas rounds the corner.   
“How?” Crane asks.   
“Let’s get outta here and we can talk about the how in the car.”   
“Yes, let’s.” Crane says.  
He takes my hand in his and, following Agent Thomas, we make our way out of the station and to her car.  
“I’m Diana Thomas, by the way.” She says once we get in the car.  
“Ah. Yes, my apologies. Abbie, Diana is my partner in the field, mother to the Witness.” Crane says.  
“So, how did you get back, Abbie?” Diana asks me.   
“I don’t know. I came to in a cave just outside of D.C. I got arrested for trespassing and have been at the station all day.”  
“In a cave?” Crane asks.  
“Yeah, and trust me, I see the parallel.”  
“Where was this cave? Maybe there’s something there that has to do with your…resurrection.” Diana says.  
“Uh, I don’t know exactly. I just know Officer McAdams said it was outside of D.C. Maybe a mile or two.”  
We pull up outside of an office space building.  
“What is this?” I ask, as we get out of the car.  
“This is Agency 355. Through this agency, we investigate all things that go bump in the night. While we have agents that answer the phones, our Witness base is down in the Vault.” Diana says.  
“Huh. And who sponsors that?”  
“The president.”   
I stare at Crane.  
“Wow. Crane, you did good. How’d you get the president to sign off on this?”  
“We’ll tell you all about it, but first, I’d think you like to see your sister.” He replies.  
“Jenny’s in there?”  
“Yes. Along with three other members of the team.”  
I start to go into the building and Crane follows but Diana stops him.  
“Abbie, there’s a receptionist at the front desk, Stevie, tell her I said to show you to the Vault. We’re coming.”   
Too excited to see my sister, I go into the building unphased that Diana will probably be talking about me. Right now, I’m on a mission to see Jenny.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
“What is it, Agent Thomas?” Crane asks, though his gaze is firmly staring after Abbie.  
“I think Abbie’s lying.” I say, which gets his attention.   
“What?”  
“She wakes up in a cave and doesn’t know how she got back. Abbie’s supposed to be gone, her essence lives in Lara, and somehow, she just pops back up. You don’t find that the tiniest bit suspicious?”   
“…It’s a bit strange, but trust me Agent Thomas, stranger things have happened.”  
“Yeah, like my supposedly dead husband coming back, because he wanted to be in Molly’s life. Only it wasn’t him, was it? It was a shapeshifter.”  
Crane sighs. “Okay. I see your point. What would you have me do?”  
“I think we need to make sure that’s really Abbie. Give her some kind of test.”  
“Okay. We shall interrogate her as if she were any other resurrection case.”  
Crane starts into the building and I go after him. He says he’s gonna interrogate her like she was anybody else, but I don’t believe him. Though he and Jenny don’t talk about Abbie much, it’s clear that there is love there. Jenny’s her sister, so there’s definitely a bond there, but with Crane it’s different. It’s like there was more than just a Witness bond between them. It’s like they were lovers without the sex; truly spiritually connected. Bottom line, I don’t trust him or Jenny to pass judgement without emotion. They’re gonna be to personally attached. But I won’t be. I’ll do what I have to to protect the group. Even if that means putting down my friends loved one.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I’m hesitate to go through the doors of the Vault. What will Jenny’s reaction be? Will she be glad to see me? Angry? Suspicious? I shake it off my nervousness, take a deep breath, and open the door, walking into the Vault. It’s much like the Archives back home. The differences being there is an upstairs with shelves full of books and instead of Washington Crossing the Delaware on the wall, there’s a picture of a group of people dressed in colonial time wear.  
“Finally, you guys are back—Whoa, are you a new intern or something?” A guy asks me. He’s a young guy, with chocolate skin, brown eyes, and spongy cropped hair.   
“Abbie?” Jenny says and comes up to me. “Wha…what is this?”  
“It’s me Jenny. I don’t know how, but it’s me.”   
Jenny hesitates for a few seconds then she grabs me and pulls me into a tight embrace.   
“Um…who are you?” A young white, woman asks. She’s a skinny woman, with long, curly brown hair. She’s a bit taller than me  
“This is my sister, Abbie. Abbie, this is Jake Wells and Alex Norwood. And this is—”  
“The Witness.” I finish for her. She’s tallish, with shoulder length black hair and a bang. “I can sense the essence.”  
“I’m Lara” She says.   
“Wait, how…how is this possible?” Alex asks.  
“And what does it mean for Lara?” Jake asks.  
“I don’t know how I got back.” I say and recap m day.  
“Perhaps we should do a little integration.” Diana says as she and Crane come into the room.  
“It might help jog your memory.” Crane says, as if I’d be insulted by them not believing me. I’m not.  
“Sure, why not.” I take a seat in front of one of the desks. “Ask away.”  
“What…what happened after you died Abbie? Where you in some afterlife of sorts?” Jenny asks.   
I let out a long sigh.   
“Abbie?” Jenny asks again.  
“I…when everything went down, I thought the box was calling me. I couldn’t resist it. Then I went to a waiting room of sorts. Had a talk with Corbin. Even saw Joe for a minute. Then I said goodbye to Crane. And I was a peace…for a moment. After saying goodbye, that was it. There was nothing. Then I came to in my bed, in my house back in Sleepy Hollow. I called out for Crane and Jenny but they weren’t there. I went outside, but the neighborhood was deserted. The neighborhood itself was all there was and I walked around it in a giant circle, only to end up back at my house. I gave up my life to save the word, because I thought I was at peace. Instead, I was all alone, stuck in a mockery of my old life.”   
“And how’d you get back?” Diana asks.  
“I don’t know. I’m telling you. Last night, I went to sleep in my bed, stuck in my own little…hell loop. This morning, I wake up in a cave near Washington D.C.”   
“Okay. Tell us about your life before you died.” Diana says.  
“What do you want to know?”  
“Anything.” She replies.  
“I…”  
“How was our relationship as sisters?” Jenny asks.  
“We were pretty close when we were younger. All we had were each other, since Mom wasn’t there mentally, or so we thought, and Dad wasn’t there physically. As we got older, things fell apart. It was after we had first seen Moloch in the woods, surrounded by those four white trees. We blacked out and when we came to, the whole town had been looking for us. After they found us, the police took us away and asked us a bunch of questions. I told you not to say anything but you did. You told them what we saw and I didn’t. They took you away. We had just found each other again, shortly after I met Crane.”   
“And how did you meet me?” Crane asks.   
I look back to Crane. “We meet after my mentor, August Corbin, was beheaded. You were being held in the holding cell because we thought you might have had something to do with his beheading. You didn’t, but you did know about the thing that was going around beheading people. We’d later find out that it was Abraham Van Burnt, your former friend. You knew way more about the supernatural than I did. You were the one who told me that we were Witnesses. We have been friends and allies ever since.”  
“What about Frank?” Jenny asks.   
“Captain Frank Irving was transferred over to the department after Corbin’s death. He was a skeptic about who and what Crane was until he saw the Horseman for himself. Then he became our ally. That is, until, he accidentally sold his soul to Henry who, we found out, was the Horseman of War. Then he worked for Henry. But, after Henry’s death, Frank’s soul was freed and he was his old self again. He later disappeared, with some help from you, Jenny.”  
“Given that your other partner, Frank, worked with evil after his resurrection, why should we believe you’re any different?” Diana asks.  
“I don’t know. Look, I’m telling you all I know. And I appreciate your suspicion, I’m glad of it. You actually remind me a lot of myself. But I’m telling you the truth. That being said, I’m willing to admit that I see how weird this is. Something might have brought me back for some evil reason, but I know nothing about it. And I’m glad you’re questioning it. I’ll even investigate with you as to how I got back. Bur right now, I want to catch up with my family. Starting with, how you guys met.”  
For the remainder of the evening and part of the night, Crane, Jenny, and the team bring me up to speed on the past three years. They tell me how they met, all about Molly and Lara, the Vault, all four horsemen walking the Earth, though they’ve managed to defeat Famine and Pestilence, working with the president, and Crane’s citizenship.   
“I’m so happy for you Crane.” I say.  
“Yeah, it was pretty great that Madam President did that.” Jenny chuckles.   
I laugh, but it turns into a yawn.   
“When’s the last time you slept, Abbie?” Jenny asks me.  
“Uh, I don’t know. A day ago.” I say.  
“You must be exhausted. Come, I will take you to my apartment.” Crane says.  
“I’m fine. Plus, we really should be working on figuring out how I got back.”   
“It’s okay Abbie. We can continue working.” Lara says.   
“Yes, we’ll be fine.” Diana adds, with a fake smile.  
I let her fakeness slide and let Crane and Jenny escort me out of the Agency. Jenny, Crane, and I all pile into his car.   
“So, Crane’s first apartment? What’s it like?” I ask.  
“Well, technically, it’s not my first.” He says.  
“Yeah, it’s his second. His first apartment was very small. More like a box.” Jenny says from the back seat.   
“And I’ve never been prouder.” Crane quips.  
“Then why’d you move?” Jenny shoots back.  
I laugh.   
“Don’t let him fool you Abbie. He lives in a penthouse. Very room, very good view of the city.”  
“Well, working directly under the president has its benefits. Miss Jenny got a new trailer.” Crane says.  
I smile and try to stifle a yawn, as Crane pulls up to a rather tall building. After walking into a very fancy lobby then entering the elevator, Crane punches in a code, and we take the elevator to the very top. I stop just short of entering the room. It’s amazing. The living room is an open space with a gray sectional sofa, with its back facing the elevator. A tv hangs on the wall across the sofa. Below it, there’s a few game consuls, complete with shelves of games and movies. To complete the look, there’s a huge window on the wall, overlooking the city. You can even see the top of the Capital. Looking to my left, I see a huge gourmet kitchen with an island in the middle, complete with granite countertops and a table to the left of it. Across from the island, there’s a counter area, with stools in front of it. Looking down the spacy hall, I see four closed doors.   
“Crane did good, huh?” Jenny says, as Crane rounds the counter on one side and goes into the kitchen.  
I let out a wry laugh.  
Crane opens a cabinet on the wall beside the stove and pulls out three glasses and a bottle of what looks like bourbon. He gestures for me to sit on the stool in front of the counter. I do and he pours us all a drink.  
“So,” I start, as I put down my glass gesture for him to refill it. “Crane’s wealthy now and has this apartment. You’re wealthy and have Joe’s inheritance.”   
Jenny told me that when she and the gang went back to Sleepy Hollow for a case, she found a letter from Joe addressed to her. All the money August Corbin had left Joe, he left to Jenny in case of his untimely death. After getting it looked at by some lawyers, it turned out to be the real deal.  
“I’m happy for you both.” I say, feeling a little melancholy that I’ve missed so much.  
As if noticing my melancholy, Crane says, “And now that you’re here, life feels complete.”  
“Absolutely. We’re just missing Frank.”  
Frank. “How is he? Have you two heard from him?”  
Jenny and Crane exchange glances. “We don’t exactly see him, but…” Crane starts.  
“We know he places a red rose on your…your grave every year on your anniversary.” Jenny finishes.  
“Oh.” My grave.   
“Sorry, Abbie. I didn’t mean to bring it up like that.” Jenny says.   
“No, it’s okay. I…I want to see it. My grave.”  
They exchange looks again.   
“Seriously. I want to see.”   
Crane nods. “I shall take you there myself.”  
I smile and it turns into another yawn.  
“You must be exhausted. I’ll show you to your room.” Crane says then leads me into the hall.  
He stops in front of the second room on the left.  
“I won’t be here long. Just until I can get back on my feet. If we don’t find out that I’m evil, that is.”  
“You’re not evil.” Jenny says.  
“Right. And, you can stay here as long as you like. We were roommates once; I don’t see why we can’t be now.” Crane adds.  
I smile and hug him, then Jenny.  
“Goodnight.” I say.  
Crane gives a small bow. “Goodnight.”  
“Goodnight Abbie.” Jenny says.   
I close the door and look around the room. There’s a queen-sized bed and it, along with the curtains, are accented in purple and white décor. The bed has two nightstands on either side of it with lamps on them. Across from the bed is a dresser with a large mirror attached to it. Beside that is a door, probably a closet. The window gives its own nice little view of the city. I smile. Crane really did do good for himself.  
Instead of laying down though, I put my ear to the bedroom door, trying to hear Jenny and Crane. Because they’re voices are so muffled, I crack the door to hear better.   
“So, what do you think?” Jenny asks.  
“I don’t know. I want to believe it’s truly her. But she seems genuinely concerned that something evil has done something to her.”  
“Maybe she’s trying to warn us?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe. Perhaps Miss Lara has found something. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Do you need a ride back to the Agency to retrieve your car?”  
“Yeah, thanks.”  
I hear keys jingle then the elevator ding. I wait for a few minutes to make sure all is silent before I slowly creep out of the bedroom. I start to head towards the elevator but curiosity gets the best of me. Instead, I start to do a quick look around of the apartment, starting with the room across from mine. Opening the door, I see it’s a spacy bathroom with granite counter tops on the sink, a large mirror stretched across the wall above the sink, and a fancy tub against the far wall with a medium sided window, covered by blinds. Closing the door, I go to the room beside it. It’s also a spacy room with a big yoga mat stretched out on the floor as well as a window with a nice view of the city. I smile to myself as I close the door. Crane still does yoga. Going to the room beside my room, there’s a king-sized bed with blue and grey covering, as are the curtains. On either side of the bed are nightstands with lamps on them. The window gives a great view of the city also, though not as grand as the one in the living room. There is chest across from the bed that holds a flat screen on top of it. On the far side of that is a door, probably a closet. This room is the one that feels lived in. This is Crane’s room.   
I enter the room and look around. In the chest, there are more of Crane’s signature clothing. I smile. It’s comforting to know that, all these years later, Crane’ still hasn’t changed his wardrobe. I did notice that his shirt seems a little more open these days though. On the nightstand closest to the widow is a framed picture of me, smiling. In the top draw is just a few knickknacks and some pens. In the bottom draw, is a book. I take it out to see that it’s a photo book. Sitting on the bed, I start to flip through the book.  
There are pictures of me, me and Crane, me and Jenny, me, Crane, Jenny, and Joe, Jenny and Crane, and Frank. These are pictures of our own little family. Most of the pictures are ones I insisted we take. After coming back from purgatory, I decided we should capture everything. I didn’t know that he made a photo album with them though. There are also pictures of Jenny and Crane with the new team, including a group picture of them in the Vault. I put the album back in the draw.  
“Places to be…” Hisses the voice inside my head.  
Shit. I sigh and get up. Making my way out of the apartment and the building, I start walking in the direction the voices tells me. I wish I could ignore her, but she’d only annoy me until I did what she wanted. Normally, I can take her annoyance, but not this time. This time she has a purpose, and I can’t obey.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
After following Abbie for twenty minutes, I had to ditch my car and go on foot after she got off the back roads and now enters a secluded part of the woods. I kind of hate myself for doing this, because Abbie really does seem nice, but her story is too convenient. And if Abbie were anybody else, Crane and Jenny would see it. But since she’s family to them, they’re too close. Lara, Alex and Jake seemed to be taken with her as well, but I know if I bring them something solid about Abbie, they’ll believe me.   
After another twenty minutes, Abbie stops walking. She looks around, confused. I’ll admit, this entire time that I’ve been following her, she has seemed to look like she was in a trace; like she was sleep walking. Just then, a figure steps out of the shadows of the woods. I can’t see their face because they wear a cloak.   
“Where am I?” Abbie asks, disoriented.   
Could it be she truly doesn’t know what she’s doing?  
The person puts two fingers to Abbie’s temple and a female voice speaks some type of incantation. I make sure to memorize the words. Once the woman is done with the incantation, she removes her fingers. Abbie stands up a bit straighter. The woman removes her hood. I still can’t see her face, because her back is to me, but she has short blond hair.   
“Hello Abigail.” She says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“Hello Abigail.” Katrina says.  
“Hello.” The other Abbie says to Katrina.   
Due to Diana following me, Katrina made a show of bringing out the other, evil version of me, with that spell. This Abbie now has control of my body, while I’m stuck in the backseat, unable to do anything to regain control. The Other Abbie also knows not to call Katrina by her name since Diana is listening. Which, is why I’m assuming she has on that blond wig and is speaking with an American accent. She doesn’t want word to get back to Crane that she’s alive.   
“Are you ready?” She asks Other Abbie.  
I nod and together Katrina and Other Abbie begin the spell that will call out to the horsemen.  
They then speak the last part of the spell. “Horsemen, we call you forth.”   
Henry, his horseman avatar, and Headless martialize, seemingly out of nowhere. They give a slight bow to Katrina.   
“Horseman of War, you are to come with me back to the base. Horseman of Death, you are to join us. But first, do you have what the Mistress asked for?”  
I’ll hand it to Katrina; she’s playing it pretty smart by being formal with them.   
Headless lifts the burlap sack that he holds in his hand. He then removes the sack to reveal the head of Professor Neil Bryson.  
“Good,” Katrina says. “The Mistress will be pleased to have the head of the man who helped exile her.”  
“What about Abigail?” Henry asks.  
“I have my own role to play.” Other Abbie answers.   
“The Mistress has other plans for her. We all have our orders. We must be off now.”  
“You’re not gonna make me walk back.” Other Abbie says.  
“Fine. I’ll take you back.” Katrina says.  
“And I suppose you’ll have to release her.”  
Katrina puts two fingers to my temple and says the phrase that allows me to gain control again. I make a show of looking disoriented for Diana’s sake before Katrina grabs my arm and we portal back to Crane’s apartment. I snatch my arm away from her grip now that I’m back in my room.  
“Was that good enough?” I sneer at her.  
“Perfect.” She answers, dropping the phony American accent. “You make quite the actress.”  
“You can go now.”  
Katrina smirks. “Now that everything is in place, phase two will be starting soon. You and Jennifer need to be ready.”  
“Noted. Now leave.”  
“Why are you so hostile with me? You’re the one that made the deal.”   
“Because I don’t like you. I never have.”  
Katrina scoffs. “And you think I like you, the woman who stole my husband. Regardless, I’m being civil to you.”  
“Oh please, it’s not like you actually loved Crane. He only fell in love with you because you enchanted because you needed him to stay his course. And I am being civil to you. I haven’t hit you…yet.”   
“It was a damn good spell, and it worked perfectly, until he met you. Your meeting changed everything and he had eyes only for you. Even now, after all these years, he still fancies you.”  
“Are we really gonna sit here and bicker about how you lost your husband? That sounds like a personal problem to me. And, it seems to me your ego’s only bruised because your spell didn’t hold, and not that you actually lost Crane.”  
Katrina scoffs but doesn’t deny what I said. “You know what Abbie, I’ll give you this piece of advice: Ichabod may be the perfect gentleman in public, but in private, he’s a passionate, proficient lover; take him while he’s in your reach. Because if I’m allowed to get him, the enchantment will hold this time.”  
“Katrina. If I wanted Crane that bad, I’d already have him. And there wouldn’t be a damn spell you could do that would ever make him choose you over me. He always chooses me. Or did you forget how you died? Now, if we’re done here, leave.” I say.  
Katrina jaw sets. “You’re lucky the Mistress has plans for you. We’ll see how smug you are when she’s done with you.”   
With that, Katrina leaves.   
I let out a slow, long sigh as I sit on the edge of the bed. I notice that my hands are shaking as I put my palms to my face.   
“We’ll see how smug you are when she’s done with you.”  
Just what does she have planned for me? And why the hell did I agree to this deal in the first place? I was desperate, so desperate. And now I have to follow through with my side of this deal. I sigh again as I lay back on the bed. May Crane and Jenny forgive me.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“Is everything going according to plan?” The woman asks.  
“Yes, Mistress. There’s some unease, but overall, Ichabod and Jennifer have welcomed Abigail back with open arms.” Katrina says.  
“Good. Then, if we are ready, let phase two begin.” 

End of Episode One


	2. Mistress of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie sinks deeper into her web of lies and the team learns more about the Mistress while continuing to investigate the beheadings around town.

Episode 2: Mistress of Darkness 

“How are things going?” The Mistress asks.  
“Smoothly.” Katrina replies.  
“And how is the Asset settling in?”  
“Perfectly. He’s just ready to feed.”  
“Good. Tell him he may make his introductions.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I hear a noise downstairs, so I go check it out. There’s nothing there, so I head to the kitchen to get a drink. Only now that I’m standing here, it feels as though someone is behind me. But when I turn around, no one’s there.  
“Hello Ms. Mills.” I turn to my side and see…Katrina.  
“Katrina? What are you doing here?”  
“I’m here with an offer.”  
“Look, I don’t know how you got here, but go away.”  
“You haven’t heard what I’m offering.” Katrina says.  
“I don’t care. Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”  
“You don’t want freedom from this place?”  
I turn to look at her. “What?”  
“I thought you might be interested. I’m here on behave of my mistress, Lilith.”  
“Your mistress? Katrina, how are you here? When you died, you disintegrated.”  
“Lilith offered me a second chance. A second chance at being with my son, who is back as well, I hear. She offered and I accepted, and now, on her behave, I’m here to offer you the same.”  
“Who is this Lilith?”  
“The Mistress of Darkness. She’s a very powerful goddess, only she’s been banned from Earth. She needs the help of a witch from The Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart, me, and two witches from the Dixon bloodline, you and Jennifer. In exchange for your promise to help her return to Earth, she’s willing to grant you freedom from this place.”  
“You said witches from the Dixon bloodline. What makes you think Jenny and I have witch blood?”  
“Please. Grace’s lineage is strong. Trust me Abbie, it’s in your blood.”  
“And how would she grant me freedom?”  
“I can’t give you all the answers, Abbie. Not yet. But in due time, you’ll learn.”  
“You know I can’t accept that. I’d rather be here, than to help you raise an evil goddess to Earth.”  
“She’s not evil. She was wrongfully pushed out of her home eons ago for not being submissive enough to her husband. Banned from Earth for choosing to live her life as she pleased, and not let a man dictate what she can and can’t do.”  
“You believe that? She resurrected you, a good witch gone bad to be reunited with your horseman son. Yeah, sorry I don’t take your work for it. And this, by the way, coming from a woman born in a time where women were very compliant to their husbands. Please.”  
“So you can see why I’m sympathetic to her plight. I may have lived in a time where women were supposed to serve men, but I never believed in it. It always annoyed me how stupid and self-centered men from my era were. However, being in your era, even for the short time I was, taught me something: women are smarter than they’ll ever be. That’s why we let them think they run things when we’re really behind the scene, owning and conquering.”  
“And is that what Lilith wants to do? Own and conquer.”  
“On the contrary. She merely wants to see how women have evolved. I had the time to explain a bit of it to her when we met.”  
“I’m not buying it Katrina. Leave. I stay here.”  
“Look, I can go topside and steal your sister’s untapped powers, and it’ll be very painful for her, or I can set both your powers free. You’ll be stronger for it. And the spell will work better if all of us are present as opposed to one dead and the other stripped of her powers. That will literally drive her to madness, Abbie.”  
“No…” I say, but I feel my fight leaving me.  
“This is happening either way, but it would be better if you were there. Think about Jennifer. You don’t want her to go mad. But you do want to see her. And Ichabod. Come on Abbie, think about it. You know you want to live. You had your life stolen from you; you weren’t meant to die. Take it back. Take back your life. Go to your sister, to Ichabod. They miss you.”  
“I can’t.”  
Suddenly the tv pops on and Jenny’s on it.  
“What is this?” I ask.  
“Surely you recognize your sister. She’s a very strong woman, but even she has her breaking point.”  
Jenny’s in her trailer, only it looks…well, better than I remember it. She’s looking at something. A picture of me and her in the Archives.  
She sighs. “You know, they say time heals all wounds. You believe that, Abbie? Yeah, me either. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. Or Joe. It seems like it was only yesterday, me, you, Crane, and Joe were eating brunch together. Sitting around and laughing like a normal family. Instead, you’ve both been gone for nearly three years. God, I miss you. I thought it would get easier as time went by, but it’s not. It’s been so hard. So hard.”  
The tv changes and now Crane is on the screen. He’s sitting in a graveyard, talking to a grave. My grave.  
“You are missed, Lieutenant. Every day. I can’t believe it’s been almost three years. I’m sorry I haven’t visited you as often as I should have. Sometimes, it’s just hard to get here; to stand in front of your grave. I swear, there are times I feel as though all I have to do is turn around, and you’ll be there, smiling at me with that radiate smile only you can give me. But you’re not there. You were my strength, Abbie. You are my strength. Every day, I fight to stay alive for you.”  
The tv switches off.  
“How sweet. Almost sad, if not, a bit pathetic.” Katrina says.  
“You put that there. Trying to trick me.”  
“It’s no trick. That was real. They are suffering, Abbie.”  
Tears come to my eyes.  
“Go back to them. Ease their pain. Ease your own pain.” Katrina says.  
A sob leaves my throat.  
“Abbie, come home.”  
"No! You need to leave Katrina." I say with the last of my resistance. "Fine. If you won't come back because you miss them, then maybe this will interest you: Ichabod sold his soul." I look at her. "What?" "I know, how stupid of him. He sold his soul to Lucifer for a Philosopher Stone. Only, Lilith and Lucifer are best friends. He willingly gave her Ichabod's soul." "No..." "I'm afraid so. If you don't help Lilith, she will kill Ichabod and thereby own him for, well, eternity." “Okay.” I whisper  
“Okay? Does that mean we have a deal?”  
“Yes.” I shake her hand. “Yes.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I jerk awake in a cold sweat. The deal. That damn deal. The whole reason I’m back. I wish I had never said yes; I wish I had been strong enough to send Katrina away. But I didn’t. And now the guilt of having to lie and betray the people closest to me is eating away at me.  
I get out of the bed on shaky legs. As I start to open the door, I hear muffled voices. Gently, I crack open the door.  
“I’m telling you what I saw Crane.” Diana says.  
“And I’m telling you Agent Thomas, after I dropped Miss Jenny back off at The Agency and came back home, the Lieutenant was still in her bed, soundly asleep.”  
“Whoever she was plotting with teleported her back here. Crane, I’m not saying that Abbie met this person of her own volition, but..”  
“But what? What are you saying?” Crane asks.  
“Look, Abbie did look distorted walking through the woods. When she met this mysterious woman, she asked her where she was. Then the woman put her fingers to Abbie’s temple and did a spell. Abbie was different after that. I think…I think something has possessed Abbie.”  
“I would know if something had a hold of her.”  
“Would you really? Crane, you’re so taken with Abbie, I doubt you can see anything past your love for her.”  
Crane doesn’t reply.  
“I remember the spell the woman used on Abbie. I think we should try it.”  
“Absolutely not.”  
“Think about it Crane, if something is there, we can exorcise it.”  
“She’ll be in pain.”  
“Think of how much more pain she’s possibly in now.”  
Diana is met with silence, so I intervene.  
“I think we should do it.” I say as I come out of my room.  
“Abbie…” Crane says, as he and Diana look at me.  
“I…I don’t remember leaving the apartment last night, but I’m not going to deny what Diana says she witnessed. If I’m possessed, we need to know.”  
“An exorcism could be very painful.” Crane says.  
“That’s pain I’m willing to take. C’mon Crane. We can’t leave whatever’s in me, in me. And this…thing might be able to tell us more about Professor Bryson.”  
Crane lets out a long sigh.  
“Not to mention, I don’t need your permission.” I add.  
Diana chokes on a laugh.  
“I suppose there’s that.” Crane says. “I don’t want to see you in pain But we can’t pass this up. So, I agree. We should call forth whatever is inside you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
An hour later, after explaining everything to the team, I’m strapped down to a chair in a circle of salt.  
“How come I’m the one who’s tied to a chair but you’re the one who looks scared?” I say to Crane.  
“I don’t like this.”  
“We need to know. I think it’ll give us all some peace of mind.”  
“And if something is in there? Abbie, I just got you back; I don’t want to lose you again. I’m telling you now, I won’t survive it.”  
“We have to know Crane. And you’re not going to lose me.”  
“You ready, Abbie?” Diana asks.  
“As I’ll ever be.”  
Diana walks within the circle of salt, puts two fingers to my right temple, and repeats the words Katrina said the night before. I feel the shift almost immediately as Diana steps out of the circle.  
“Abbie?” Jenny says.  
I feel my head lift as Other Abbie answers. “Yes.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Are you okay?”  
“She’s fine.” Is the reply.  
“'She’? And who are you?” I ask.  
“A version of her. You may call me Abbie if you like. She does like it when you call her Abbie, Crane.”  
“What exactly are you?” Miss Jenny asks.  
This …other Abbie sighs loudly. “Think of it as a Jekyll and Hyde deal, Bruce Banner and the Hulk even. I’m the version of her that enjoys things with…less morals, unlike her. Everyone has a version of it in them. Including you all. Especially you Crane. You and your…late night thoughts.”  
“What is it you want?” I ask tightly.  
“I don’t want anything. Well, that’s not true; I suppose I’d like to be released.”  
“Sure, just tell us how to exorcise you, and we’ll send you away.” Miss Jenny says.  
She sighs again. “What are you not getting, you can’t get rid of me; I am Abbie. I’m a part of her. When I say I want to be released, I mean I want to be at the head of the wheel.”  
“Obviously that’s not going to happen.” Miss Jenny says.  
“Mm, well, that’s what you think.”  
Agent Thomas and I trade glances. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks.  
The other Abbie smirks. “You’ll know all in good time.”  
“Enough play. What does that mean?” I ask.  
“Let’s just say, deals have been made, and things have been set.”  
“Deals? So you made a deal with the Lady in the Woods?” Agent Thomas asks.  
Abbie smiles again. “I thought I felt a presence.”  
“So what exactly is this deal? You help the Lady in the Woods and she will grant you full access over Abbie’s body?” I ask.  
Abbie smirks. “Something like that.”  
“Who is the Lady in the Woods?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“Oh, she’s a blast from the past.”  
“What does that mean?” Miss Jenny asks.  
She smirks again but says nothing.  
“You’ve been rather chatty so you must want us to know, don’t you?” I say.  
“In due time, sure.”  
“Who’s this Mistress the woman spoke of?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“The Mistress of Darkness.”  
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Master Jake move towards one of the computers.  
“Who is she; what does she want?” Miss Alex asks.  
“I’ve given you all I was supposed to, on that matter.”  
“Suppose to?” Miss Jenny asks.  
“I’m sorry, you didn’t think we actually didn’t know Abbie was being followed, did you? What Diana saw and heard, was what she was supposed to.”  
“Why play that game?” Miss Jenny asks.  
“Because the Mistress wanted to give you a head start. She’s nice like that.”  
“Since you know I was following, answer me this, since I’m at a lost: Why kill Professor Bryson? Why take his head?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“The Mistress is a vengeful type. He was one of the three warlocks who helped exile her, eons ago. Therefore, some retribution was owed. He had it coming, and I suspect many more will too.”  
“Like who?” I ask.  
She smirks. “Mm, that’s all you’re getting from me, cutie. So, if we’re done here, you can summon Abbie now. Or, you can let continue to steer.”  
“Well, you’ve been very helpful. But, of course, there’s no way you’re getting control of Abbie.” I say.  
“You can’t stop it.” She retorts.  
“Sure we can.” Miss Lara says as she comes to stand in front of Abbie with a book in her hand.  
“If we can’t exorcise you, we can block you.”  
“You can try, but it won’t be long before I break those chains. And I promise, when I do that, I’ll make sure Abbie’s in the worst imaginable pain. I may just break what’s left her sanity. You do know she’s so very close to the edge of slipping into insanity, courtesy of yours truly.”  
Miss Lara looks at me and Miss Jenny for approval. We look at each other, then nod.  
“We’ll see.” Miss Lara says then starts an incantation. Abbie starts twitching and grinding her teeth. Then she goes limp.  
“Abbie?” Miss Jenny says at the same time I say, “Lieutenant?”  
She groans. “Ugh, that was not pleasant.”  
She looks up at us. “Did it work?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“So, this other Abbie made a deal with some evil Mistress of Darkness? Who even is she?” I ask after being untied. As if I don’t know.  
“According to our research, “Mistress of Darkness”, refers to the deity Lilith.” Jake says.  
“Lilith?” Crane asks.  
“Yeah, it goes back to biblical times—mainly Jewish versions, but according to the lore, she was Adam’s first wife. She got kicked out of Eden for not being submissive enough.” He says.  
“So, what’s she do? What’s her power?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“Well, she’s is a Goddess, so she’s pretty powerful and, supposedly very beautiful; she’s a seductress. She sniffs out your desires and plays on them. The more hidden the desire, the better the challenge for her. Her title isn’t without its merits either. She can literally bind the darkness to her will.”  
“She’s a succubus.” I say.  
“She’s not just a succubus; she’s the succubus. The first one. The mother of them all.” Alex says.  
“And she’s connected to Abbie.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Well, at least now you know what you have to do.” I say.  
The entire team looks at me.  
“What?” Jenny says.  
“This…Lilith clearly wants to use me for some reason or other. We don’t know what that is, but I think it’s safe to assume it won’t be a good thing. But, if you take me out, then she can’t complete her goal.”  
“That’s not an option.” Crane says.  
“Yeah, Abbie, you’re not the one who’s evil.” Jenny says.  
“But evil wants to use me. There’s no better way to stop her if I’m gone.” I say, laying it on thick.  
“Abbie, I don’t think killing you is the answer.” Lara says.  
I look at her.  
“I actually think this is a good opportunity for us. We blocked the other version of you, but Lilith doesn’t know that. Neither does the mystery Woman in the Woods.”  
“We could use that to our advantage to find out what she’s planning, all the while trying to figure out how to free you from this other Abbie, and whatever duties she might have to Lilith.” Diana says.  
“I’ll be the team’s spy.” I say, even though I know I can’t feed them real information. Lilith does monitor me, preventing me from doing so, or I wouldn’t even be playing this game. I’d have told them the truth from the start.  
“No, it’s too dangerous.” Crane says. “What if she’s discovered?”  
“Crane, this is a good opportunity for the team, for me. I’m doing it. I’ll be the team’s spy.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Alex gets a call an hour into us researching Lilith.  
“Hello? Yeah, okay, just send the file down. Thanks.”  
She hangs up.  
“Who was that?” Crane asks.  
“That was David. He’s bringing down a file of incidents he’s comprised. He says there are similarities in the incidents and thinks it’s a case, but he’s having a hard time emailing it to me.”  
Minutes later, a youngish looking guy enters the Vault. He’s Hispanic, with deep brown eyes, curly, soft looking hair, and a kind smile. He’s tall, but not as tall as Crane, and he’s built. Overall, he’s cute.  
“Here you go, Miss Alex.” He says.  
“Thanks David. I don’t know why email wasn’t working for you.”  
“I don’t know. It was probably a fluke.” He says, as his stare finds mine.  
“I don’t remember see you before. Hi, I’m David. David Espinosa.” He says and sticks out his hand.  
“Abbie Mills.” I say as I shake his hand.  
“Mills? Like—”  
“Yeah, she’s my sister. Back from a long holiday.” Jenny says.  
“Huh.” David says.  
“That will be all Agent Espinosa. You may go.” Crane says a bit loudly.  
“Oh, yeah, sure.” He says and drops my hand  
He turns to leave, glancing over his shoulder once before leaving the Vault.  
“Someone has a crush.” Jenny whispers to me.  
“Perhaps we should review the file he dropped off.” Crane says, having heard Jenny.  
Alex opens the file and starts reading it. “So, starting late in the evening yesterday, five people went missing all around the same time. Rather, they walked off as if they were in a trance, only to return early this morning. If that wasn’t weird enough, family and friends that reported these people missing, are now reporting strange behavior from them. One woman said her nephew came back early this morning, started looking around in the herb drawers, mixed certain herbs together, recited phrases in Romani Greek, then burned them. When she asked what he was doing, he said it was nothing, a calming technique. Another person reported her girlfriend did the same thing, only she said it was a meditation exercise.”  
“So, what, working theory is someone’s turning people into witches?” Jake asks.  
“Probably the Woman in the Woods.” Diana says.  
“How does one turn someone into a witch?” Lara asks.  
“It’s not so much as “turning someone into a witch” as it is unlocking their powers. If a person has witch blood in their lineage, most likely they have it in their blood too. Sometimes the person naturally inherits it and other times it has to be unlocked.” Crane says.  
“Oh, so Abbie and Jenny could be witches.” Jake says.  
“Uh, why would you say that?” Jenny asks.  
“Well…Grace is your ancestor. Not only did she pass down her journal of spells to you both, but didn’t you tell me you found a journal of African spells that belonged to your mom?”  
“A journal of spells doesn’t equal a grimoire. Most witches have a spell book passed down through their family of all the spells the family knows. We don’t have one.” I say.  
Diana’s phone goes off.  
“Hello?” She answers.  
“What? What’s the address? Okay, we’re on our way.”  
She hangs up.  
“What’s wrong?” Jenny asks.  
“There’s been another beheading.”  
“What?” Crane Says.  
“C'mon, let’s go.” Diana says as she grabs her keys off the desk.  
“Wait. We need to look into the witch case more. It’s obvious the Lady in the Woods could be trying to start a cult.” Alex says.  
Or a coven, I think.  
“We have to go investigate the beheading. We know it has something to do with Lilith.” Lara says.  
“Well, how about this; you three go investigate the beheading, Alex and Jake will continue to look into the witches, and Jenny and I will continue to look into Lilith.” I say.  
“Divide and conquer. An excellent idea, Lieutenant.” Crane says.  
“Okay, let’s go.” Diana says.  
As I watch Crane leave with Diana and Lara, I get hit with another bout of melancholy. That use to be me and Crane going out into the field.  
“You okay?” Jenny asks, noticing me staring.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I say, as I begin searching Lilith on the web.  
“I think I got something.” Jake says.  
“What’s that?” Jenny asks.  
“Okay, so I was wondering why the Woman in the Woods would be targeting certain people. If a person has witch blood in them, why would she want these five people? Why not do a spell to target all those with witch blood?”  
“She needs certain people.” Jenny says.  
“Or certain families. What if these people were targeted because they come from powerful witch families?”  
“Still, what would she need these specific people for?” I ask.  
“Well, according to one legend about Lilith, she was banned from Earth by three warlocks.”  
“I’m assuming Professor Bryson and the beheaded victim Crane, Lara, and Diana are investigating.” Alex says.  
“Right. But, what the warlocks didn’t know was that Lilith had a following already. Twelve witches from twelve different families tried to undo the ban. It worked partially. Lilith was able to come back to Earth but she couldn’t stay for long before she was shoved back into exile. It’s like that every few years.”  
“So she’s only able to come to Earth for a short time period.” Jenny says.  
“Right. The twelve witches were working on a way to make her stay long term but these three warlocks found them before they could finish their task. They killed them. But, Lilith swore that she would return to Earth with the help of the descendants of the twelve witches. She also promised that she would take the heads of the warlocks who dared to exile her.” Jake finishes.  
So, Lilith is looking to uphold her promises.” Alex says.  
“That’s why these certain people are so important. We need to find out who those twelve families were.” Jenny says.  
Holy shit. Katrina lied to me. Of course the bitch lied to me, that’s what she does. Lilith doesn’t need Jenny and me because we’re supposed to be strong, coming from Grace’s lineage. She needs us because one of our ancestors was a follower of hers; one of our ancestors tried to help raise Lilith.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Richard Joyner: 46-year-old freelance reporter. Neighbor heard a lot of noise over here then reportedly saw a figure on horseback leaving here, shortly after the noise stopped. He called over here to see if Joyner was alright. When he got no answer, he called the cops.” Agent Smith, the first detective on the scene tells us.  
“And the head?” Miss Lara asks.  
“Gone. Just like the professor. I’ve dealt with all kinds of serial killers, but taking the head as a trophy? That’s a first for me.” He replies.  
“Other than the missing heads, have you found any connection between the professor and Mr. Joyner?” Agent Thomas asks.  
“No, nothing. Feel free to look around; see if you can.”  
“Thanks.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Crane? You okay?” Miss Lara asks, noticing my silence.  
“I don’t like being played with. Lilith has been toying with us, and she’s probably doing so now, with this man’s death.”  
“So it’s time we play back.” Agent Thomas says.  
I look at her.  
“Abbie’s…other version said that there were three warlocks that worked together to banish Lilith.”  
“Professor Bryson and Mr. Joyner.” I say.  
“There’s one more warlock she’ll command Headless to come back for tonight. But—”  
“If we get to him first, Headless won’t be able to.” Miss Lara finishes.  
“There has to be something in here that will help us figure out who the third guy is.” Agent Thomas says, and begins going through the drawers in the office.  
Miss Lara and I follow suit. After looking through Joyner’s desk, book shelf, and the books themselves, we still haven’t found anything. I’d just about given up when Miss Lara speaks.  
“I think I found something.” She says, “Look.”  
Agent Thomas and I come over to her, as she holds up a photo. It’s grainy and black and white, but in it are three men in old timey priest uniforms: Professor Bryson, Mr. Joyner, and a third man.  
“That’s him. That’s the third guy.” Ms. Lara says.  
“Only problem is, there’s no names on the photo,” Agent Thomas say, flipping the photo over. “How are we gonna find him?”  
“Perhaps Miss Alex can run it through facial recognition.” I say and slip the photo in my pocket.  
Agent Thomas begins to head out. “C’mon, we only have a few hours to find this guy before sundown.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“How’s it going?” Agent Thomas asks Master Jake and Miss Alex as they search through the facial recognition database.  
“Still not finding anything. The machine’s having a hard time with the quality of the photo.” Master Jake says, in a frustrated tone.  
“It’s only noon. We’ve still got time.” Abbie says.  
“The Lieutenant’s right. We’ll find him before sundown. In the meantime, keep searching. We’ll keep researching the witches who tried to rise Lilith and the spell they might have used.” I say.  
My statement proved to be easier said than done when hours pass us by and we've found nothing. That is, until the facial recognition machine begins to beep.  
“Found him. It took some time because the machine couldn’t catch his face in the grainy picture, but we got him. His name’s Joseph Miller. He’s an art curator. Here’s his address.” Miss Alex says as she writes it down.  
“Let’s go.” I say.  
“Crane, Diana, why don’t you take Abbie with you? I’ll be back up with Jenny.” Miss Lara says.  
We all look at her.  
“We don’t’ have time to debate, Miller’s a while a way. Let’s go.” She says.  
“Right.” I say.  
Though I’m not sure why Miss Lara made the suggestion, I’m not going to question it further. Abbie and I will be back in the field together. It will be like old times.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
Lara surprised me with suggesting I go with Crane and Diana. I mean, I don’t even have a weapon. But, I would’ve felt sadden by having to play backup with Jenny. I was never backup, and I guess it would feel weird. So I don’t complain as we make our way to the car. Crane gets in the driver seat and Diana reaches the passenger door. I stare at her as she gets in, then slowly get in the back.  
I’ve always rode in the passenger seat when Crane drives, and vise versa. I didn’t think about it being a normal thing for Diana to get in the passenger seat now. That still doesn’t stop me from staring at her the whole ride to Miller’s house.  
When we get there, Diana goes to the back of the SUV and opens the trunk. She lifts a compartment, pulls something out, then closes the trunk. She comes back to me and hands me a hand gun.  
“Always carry extra.” She says with a shrug.  
I take it and nod, as we make our way to Miller’s front door. That might’ve made up for her getting in the front seat.  
Crane knocks on the door. We hear a lot of noise and then a man, Miller, call out.  
“Who’s there?”  
“Homeland Security.” Diana says.  
There’s more noise and then Miller cracks the door.  
“Who are you, what do you want?”  
“May we come in?” Crane asks.  
“No.”  
“Mr. Miller, there is a biblical horseman coming for your head tonight and he’s already taken the heads of Neil Bryson and Richard Joyner, but I suspect you already know that. We can help you, but you need to let us in.” I say.  
Miller hesitates, then slowly opens the door.  
“Thank you.” I say as we enter.  
“You look very familiar.” Miller says to me.  
“I must just have one of those faces.” I say.  
“Planning a trip?” Crane asks, nodding to the clutter of books and clothes near a suitcase.  
“Like she said, there’s a horseman after me and he’s already killed two of my friends. Best make this little visit quick.”  
“We want to help you.” Crane says.  
“I’ll admit you Witnesses are a formidable force, but I don’t need your help. And if I leave now, I can still make my flight before sundown.”  
“We can take you to safety until sunrise and then I’ll drop you off at the airport in the morning.” Agent Thomas says.  
“You’ll have a whole day of sunrise, compared to the ten minutes you have now.” Crane says.  
“Where would you take me?” Miller asks.  
“We have two teams of back up waiting to transport you to our Agency. The horseman nor any other evil can step foot on the property.” Crane says.  
Miller hesitates.  
“There’s no time for indecision, Mr. Miller. We have to go now. The horseman—” I start but cut myself off when I hear a horse neigh in the distance.  
We all look to the window to see the sun has slipped below the horizon.  
“He’s here.” Diana says.  
“Guys, we have sightings of Headless.” Alex says over Diana’s ear piece.  
“Mr. Miller, please. Let us help you.” I say.  
Miller goes to the kitchen, pushes the table back, off of a rug, and pulls the rug back to reveal a hidden door.  
“It’s a stairwell leading to the basement. We can get out that way.”  
We follow Miller down the stairwell, before we hit the bottom of the stairs, Miller does a spell sealing the door as we hear the front door burst open with a harsh kick.  
“This way.” Miller says.  
We follow him across the basement, up more stairs, to double doors. He opens the doors and we’re outside.  
“Jen, get ready; we’re coming to you.” Diana says.  
We head towards the car Jenny and Lara are waiting in. We’re almost there when a shot ring out.  
“Get him to the car. We’ll hold him off.” Crane says.  
“Jenny, Lara, meet me halfway.” Diana says as she keeps moving.  
Headless puts away his shotgun and takes out his axe as he nears us.  
“It’s been a long time, Abraham. I began to think you forgot about me. Or, perhaps you were simply to frightened.” Crane taunts.  
“Trash talk’s getting better.” I say to Crane.  
Headless throws his axe, missing Crane by a hair.  
“Is that the best you can do?” Crane says.  
I take a shot at Headless as he advances.  
“As funny as it is to hear your taunts, I think this is the part where we run.” I say.  
Headless pulls out his machine gun.  
“Right.” Crane says.  
We take cover behind a few parked cars as Headless lets his round loose.  
“Shit. We can’t stay here. Alex, Jake, we could use ya right about now.” I say.  
Seconds later, Alex pulls up near us.  
“C’mon!” Jake yells.  
Crane and I rush to the car. "  
“Where’d Headless go?” Alex asks, as she speeds away.  
There’s a loud bang, and the car jerks. The back window shatters as the buck hits it.  
“Shit!” I hear Alex say, as she tries to get control of the car.  
It’s hopeless and we crash into a nearby tree.  
“Is everyone okay?” Crane asks.  
“Yeah.” Jake says.  
“Fine.” Alex says. “Jenny, where are you guys? We could use you.”  
“Lieutenant, are you okay?”  
“I’m good.  
Alex’s door is jerked open and she’s pulled out.  
“No!” Jake yells as he gets out.  
Headless puts his knife to her throat.  
“Let her go.” Crane says.  
As they distract Headless, I go to the back of the car and look for weapons. I find guns, knives, and grenades. I grab a gun and a grenade.  
“If you hurt her, I swear to God, I will—” Jake starts, but cuts himself off when Headless drags the knife a little across Alex’s neck.  
“Take me instead.” Crane says. “You know this always boils down me and you and our hatred for one another.”  
Without warning, I take a shot at Headless’s hand that’s not holding the knife. Caught off guard, he turns his body toward me. Alex takes the distraction, and jabs him in the gut. It doesn’t hurt him, but it does get him to release her. Jake grabs her and pulls her toward him. I throw the grenade at Headless.  
“Get down!” I shout.  
Seconds later, a flash bomb goes off and I hear Headless sizzle.  
“We have to go, come on!” I say.  
We run past Alex’s crashed car, and take cover behind some trees.  
“Agent Thomas, where are you?” Crane says, through his earpiece.  
“We’re coming.” She replies.  
Headless starts to release clips from his machine gun. As his bullets get closer, so does he. That is until Jenny pulls up. Miller steps out the car and shouts an incantation towards Headless. Miller's hands radiates sunshine.  
“Let’s go!” Diana says.  
We all pile in the car, with Miller last as he’s holding off Headless, then speed away.  
As we leave Headless withering on the ground, a thought forms in my head. We did this to mess with Lilith and I guarantee we did that. She will not be happy. The question now is, what will she do in retaliation?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Thank you all for helping me.” Miller says to us as morning light shines through the Vault’s widows.  
“That’s what we do.” Jake says.  
“Miss Norwood, I feel bad that you got that scar on account of helping me. Perhaps I can do something to make it vanish.” Miller says.  
“No, I think I’ll keep it. It’s my first scar of, what will probably, be plenty in this job. Regardless, I was that close to Death and didn’t wet my pants, so I’m kinda proud of it.”  
Miller chuckles. “Can’t argue with that. Abigail, could I have a word with you?”  
“Sure, yeah.”  
He pulls me away from the group.  
“I was kinda wanting to talk to you too. You said that I looked—”  
“April Summers.”  
“What”  
“Your ancestor. Her name was April Summers. You look just like her.”  
“So she did work with Lilith.” I say.  
“On the contrary. She and her sister, June, were spies for my Brotherhood.”  
“Spies?”  
“Yes. They infiltrated Lilith’s ranks to help us try and stop her. Your ancestors were the ones who provided my coven with the spell to banish Lilith from Earth as well as helped us put down the other eleven witch families.”  
I let out a sigh of relief.  
“Can I offer you some advice?” Miller says.  
I nod slowly.  
“I don’t know what your game is, but be careful. Lilith is crafty. Don’t underestimate her.”  
I stare at him.  
“Miller, we should get going.” Lara says.  
“Good luck.” Miller whispers to me then steps away.  
“Thank you all, again. Oh, before I go, here.” Miller hands a list over to Crane.  
“What’s this?”  
“A list of Lilith’s witch followers. It should help you track down their descendants.”  
Miller shoots a pointed glance at me before leaving with Diana and Lara.  
“What was that about?” Jenny asks me.  
“Uh, he was warning me about what Lilith’s reaction could be.” I say, giving her a half truth.  
“Let her be mad. It’ll show her not to mess with us.” She replies.  
I give her a half smile.  
“So, how did it feel?” She asks.  
“How did what feel?”  
“Being back in the field.”  
I smile. “Yeah, it…it felt good. I missed it.”  
“Well, we were going to surprise you but…” Crane says, coming into the conversation.  
“Surprise me with what?”  
“I’ve been talking to the president and…she’s eager to meet with you.” Jenny says.  
“The president of the United States wants to meet me?”  
“As a formal interview before your agent status is restored.” Crane says.  
I hug Jenny and then Crane. “I’m gonna be an agent again.”  
“You’re a part of this team too Abbie; of course we’re going to do what we can to get you a paying job.” Jenny says.  
“That’s right.” Crane adds.  
As Crane and Jenny begin to talk amongst themselves, my happiness begins to fade as fear creeps in. Being given agent status will just make things worse for me. Lilith expects me to do a job and I have to obey or she will go back on her part of the deal. I want to say I don’t care, but I’m too far in now. It’s not just me Lilith can hurt. She can hurt my family.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“What do you mean, they got to him first?” Lilith asks Headless.  
“They took two separate cars, and Ichabod and Abigail distracted him.” Katrina answers for him.  
“How?” Lilith asks. “How did they distract him?”  
“The Witnesses are quite formidable, Mistress.” Henry says as he continues to drain the knowledge and power from Professor Bryon’s and Joyner’s heads, transferring it to Lilith.  
“Clearly. I’ve underestimated them. That won’t happen again. Katrina.”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
“Tell the Asset to make his move.”  
“So soon? The Witnesses are very suspicious. We can’t move too fast.”  
Lilith looks to Katrina. “They fucked me. Now I will show them how it feels.”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
Lilith leans back in her seat as Henry continues to transfer energy.  
“And Katrina, one last thing.”  
“Yes?”  
“Find a time when Abbie’s alone. I think it’s time we had a face to face.”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
End of Episode 2


	3. Episode Three: Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie gets an unexpected visitor and the team heads to Sleep Hollow to try and get answers from an unlikely source.

Episode Three: Home Sweet Home

“Katrina, is all ready for my visit with Abbie?” Lilith asks.  
“Yes Mistress. Abbie should be waking any minute now.” Katrina says.  
“Good.” Lilith says as she leans over the dead body and begins to whisper an incantation.  
The dead man sits up.  
“Bring me Ichabod Crane.” Lilith tells the man.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
There’s destruction and carnage everywhere. So many bodies. Faces that I know. Diana, Alex, Jake, Lara. Jenny. A hand grabs me. I look down at…a bloodied, dying Crane.  
“Abbie…please.” He says.  
“Finish him.” I hear a voice command me.  
I look towards the voice. Lilith.  
“Do it. Finish him.” She commands again.  
With a sword that I didn’t even know I had, I run Crane through.  
“Good job.” Lilith says.  
I smile at her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I jerk awake in a cold sweat.  
Is that what Lilith will turn me into if I defy her? Some mindless killing machine? Or was that her plan all along?  
On shaky legs, I slowly get out of bed. I gather clothes and make my way to the bathroom, where I hop in the shower. As I let the water run over me, my mind drifts to the deal I made with Katrina on Lilith’s behalf. I often wonder if I would’ve had the strength to say no to her if the stakes weren’t so high. Hell, even without Lilith’s threat, I probably wouldn’t have been able to say no. Not after three years of solitude with my other half.  
Stepping out of the shower, I dry off and dress. As I’m doing so, I catch my reflection in the mirror. I’m shocked by the person staring back at me, so much so that I wonder if it’s me or the other version of me they locked away. The woman in the mirror doesn’t look remorseful about what she’s done. She’s selfish without a care. And as I stare at myself, I realize, I’m not sorry as to how I came back. My guilt stems from having to lie to the team, but if I had the chance, I’d do it all over again to be with Jenny and Crane.  
As I step out of the bathroom, I smell Crane’s cooking. Walking down the hall to the kitchen, I’m suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into darkness, then I’m shoved away. I turn around to see who grabbed me. A woman I don’t recognize stands behind me. She’s tallish, a few inches taller than me anyway, with long, flowy red hair, grey-hazel eyes and brown skin. She has long, red nails and wears a form fitting, black dress with strappy, black heels.  
“Who are you?” I ask.  
“You haven’t guessed yet?” She asks in a sultry voice. “I am Lilith.”  
Potent fear shoots down through me. “What do you want?” I ask as I try to keep the fear from my voice.  
“You know, you fucked me when you helped your other Witness with Miller’s escape.”  
I exhale curtly. “I still have a role to play. I can’t seem like I’m unwilling to help.”  
“Yet, you didn’t inform me. And I don’t even know where he is right now. Do you?”  
“No.” And I don’t. Miller didn’t tell us, and we didn’t ask.  
“Insubordination cannot be tolerated Abigail.” Lilith says.  
“Look—” I start, but she cuts me off.  
“Did you enjoy your dream this morning?”  
“Lilith—"  
“How about this, from now on, you do exactly as I say and inform me of any plans your team has. If not, then I will not only release the evil in you that your friends so foolishly thought they could block, but I will also crush Crane and Jenny’s sanity.”  
“No.” I say.  
“Or, perhaps, I’ll just make Crane my mindless puppet instead. You didn’t forget that I am the one who holds his soul, and not Lucifer? Of course, if I do make him my puppet, he’ll be more than just a killing machine. I mean, let’s be honest, he is rather handsome, isn’t he? Perhaps I’ll just keep him in my bed chamber.”  
“Don’t touch him. Or Jenny.” I grit out.  
Lilith laughs and it sounds so musical, coming from someone so deadly.  
“Abbie, you’re in no position to make demands.”  
“Aren’t I though?” I ask, despite the fear rooted in me.  
“Look at you, growing a pair. By all means, continue. I’m rather enjoying this.”  
“Don’t act like you don’t need me and Jenny to help with the spell that’s supposed to liberate you. It was our ancestors who helped with the spell, and that makes us special.” I say.  
“I see Miller’s been talking. Out of all the members of the Brotherhood, I think I disliked Miller the most.” Lilith says.  
“The point is, you need us both. How helpful do you think I’ll be if you hurt my family?”  
She blinks out of my vision, but when I see her again, she’s right in front of me.  
I gasp and try to take a step back but she grabs me by the arm, painfully so.  
“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, listen closely: I can hurt you and your family and you’ll still do what I say. If I wanted to, I could turn you all into my mindless puppets. The only reason I don’t is because it’s much more fun to torment you this way. But don’t misunderstand, if I have to, I will. Now, you will show your allegiance to me by finding the Arch Angel Orion. Find him, and send him to me. Do you understand?”  
I say nothing. Lilith puts two fingers to my temple. Pain so unimaginable crashes down on my skull. I crumble to my knees in agony.  
“I said, do you…understand?”  
“Yes.” I whimper out.  
“Good. See you soon Abbie.” With that, she leaves and I’m back in the hallway.  
I slowly stand. My head still hurts, but it’s more of a dull ache now. I take a few minutes to compose myself before heading to the kitchen.  
“Ah, good morning Lieutenant.” Crane says, as I enter the kitchen.  
“Good morning. You’re in a rather happy mood.” I say as I slowly sit across from him at the bar.  
“Why wouldn’t I be?”  
“Uh, well, there’s an evil version of me trying to break out, we don’t know exactly what Lilith wants, or what she has to do with me, or who the mysterious Woman in the Woods is.” Well, you don’t know.  
“But I have every confidence that we will find out.” Crane says, and sets a plate of eggs, bacon, and a biscuit in front of me.  
“Did you sleep well?” Crane asks me.  
My dream and Lilith’s warning creeps back into my mind, but I push it away.  
“Yeah, you?”  
“Like a baby.” Crane says and I chuckle.  
“So, are you ready for your interview?” He asks.  
I’ve been back for a month now and my interview with the president is today.  
“Ready to meet the President of the Free World? I don’t think one can fully be ready for that.”  
“Mm, yes, I remember the first time I met Washington. It was an out of body experience almost.”  
I laugh. “I’m sure it was. You geek out over pretty much anything.”  
Crane flicks my nose. “I do not “geek out” over anything.”  
“Sure, whatever you say.”  
“So…have you…heard anything from her?” Crane asks, changing the subject.  
By ‘her’, I’m assuming he means the Other Abbie.  
“No, nothing. Ever since Lara did that spell, I’ve heard no voices in my head.”  
“I just want to make sure you’re alright.”  
“Thanks for the concern, but I am.”  
There’s silence for a moment, before Crane speaks again.  
“Oh, before I forget, I have a present for you. Two actually.”  
Crane reaches into his pocket, then puts an iPhone 10 in front of me, as well as the keys to his SUV.  
“A new phone and an extra pair of keys to your car?”  
“Well, you’ve been back for a month already, and without your own mode of transportation and phone, you might as well be living in the dark ages.” Crane jokes.  
I laugh.  
“Everyone’s numbers have already been programed in, and we all have your new number. And these are not an extra pair of keys, I’m giving you the car.”  
“What?”  
“Like I said, you need your own mode of transportation. Besides, this will give me opportunity to ride my motorbike.”  
“Motorbike. Now, when do I get to ride that?” I joke.  
“Whenever you want.” Crane replies.  
“Hm. Well, since it’s my car now, I’m driving to my interview. Now, why don’t hurry up before you make us late.” I say, gesturing to his slow eating. I’m already done.  
“Right. I just set that in front of you.”  
“Yeah, well now I’m done. I think being undead has my metabolism sped up.”  
“You are not undead.”  
“Says you.” I say.  
Crane opens his mouth to speak, but I stop him.  
“Kidding. Jeez, I’m kidding. Take a joke. C’mon, we’re gonna be late.”  
35 minutes later, Crane and I are sitting in a waiting room. When we first got here, I was taken to a medical room and given a CAT scan and other tests. I feel my anxiety spike with every second that passes by, but I try not to let it show.  
“Are you nervous?” Crane asks.  
“Nah; it’ll be a piece of cake.”  
“Glad to see you’re so optimistic.”  
“Ah, well, I figure if she turns me down, I can just bug you to persuade her otherwise. You have a certain charm about you. Must be your accent.”  
Crane smirks at me. “Very cute Lieutenant.”  
I snort.  
“Ms. Mills? She’ll see you now.” A receptionist calls.  
“Wish me luck.” I say.  
“You don’t need it.” Crane replies.  
I smile. Then I walk into the president’s office and take a seat as the receptionist closes the door.  
“Grace Abigail Mills, your reputation proceeds you.” The president says and drops my file on her desk as she sits down. “Sheriff Ryes with the Sleepy Hollow Police Department had nothing but good things to say about you, as well as your former two bosses. Or, rather their reports on you. You finished first in your class at the academy in Quantico and your superior Daniel Reynolds had praise for you as well. However, you’ll forgive me for not taking his words since he was your lover at one point, right?”  
“Um, no Ma’am, not exactly.” I answer, a bit shocked that all that’s in my file.  
“What was he then?”  
“We’re were just close friends.”  
“Ah. Right. Still, we’ll just excuse his report for the time being. Again, your file is great and Mr. Crane seems to trust you completely. What is your relationship to him again?”  
“We were partners.”  
“Ah, so you’re like him?”  
“How do you mean, Ma’am?”  
“A Witness?”  
Surprised, I hesitate for a minute. Crane said she knew about our world, I mean she gave him full access and a pardon, but I’m still having a hard time talking to her about it.  
“Madame President, how much do you know?” I ask.  
“Everything. From Moloch, to the Horsemen, to Pandora and the Hidden one. Malcolm Dreyfuss, Armageddon, Frank Irving. Right down to you dying for your cause. That’s admiral by the way, but why?”  
“Why what?”  
“Why would you do it? To willingly sacrifice yourself, knowing you’d never see Mr. Crane or Ms. Jenny again. Why?”  
“It never presented itself as a choice. Pandora’s box needed one of us and I felt as though it was calling me. As a Witness, I felt it was my responsibility to do so. In this line of work, we have to put our wants and needs last and put the cause first.”  
“And how has that been for you, physically and mentally?”  
“I feel fine, if that’s what you mean. As long as we win, it’s all worth it and I have no regrets.”  
“Well, your CAT scan says differently. The doctors suggest that you have PTSD.”  
Ah, that damn CAT scan. I sigh.  
“Ok, so I’ve had some trauma, who hasn’t, but I am fine.”  
“How was your 3 years of solitude, Ms. Mills?”  
I blink.  
“Of course I did my research on you. I talked to Mr. Crane and your sister. I also had agents investigate you. So, how was that? To be all alone for that many years, no human interaction at all.”  
Would’ve been nice of Jenny and Crane to tell me they told her freaking everything. “Madam President-” I start, but she cuts me off.  
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t lie to me Abbie. I have agents sworn to secrecy, who lie for me, not to me. I don’t hire agents who lie to me.”  
I sigh again. “Yes, my time alone was hard. Yes, I fear being alone sometimes. And yes, it’s hard to forget my time there, and sometimes I have flashbacks. But I promise you, I can handle it. The flashbacks don’t come to me during important times. Mostly while I’m sleep.”  
She silent for a long time, then leans back in her seat. “I like you Abbie, I do. However, I can’t put an agent with possibly severe PTSD out in the field; it would be irresponsible.”  
“Please, Madam President. I have to be out there with my sister and Crane.”  
“The best I can do is desk duty.”  
“Desk duty? No, please. In this line of work, I can’t just do research.”  
She’s silent for another long period of time, then sighs. “You'd have to talk to a therapist once a week for six months.”  
“I’d rather not talk to a shrink.” I say quietly.  
“You don’t have to be strong all the time Abbie. It’s okay to show emotion. Or, is it that talking to someone will take you back to a time when you were younger and forced to talk to someone?”  
I know she’s the president and all, but she knows too much about my past for my comfort. “It’s not that. This therapist would never understand the situation. What am I even supposed to say?”  
“So use metaphors. Someone of your talent, I’m sure you can think of something. This is the deal; you want the position, you go to these sessions. Take it or leave it.”  
“When would I start my sessions with the therapist?”  
“Next week.”  
I put out my hand. She smiles and shakes it.  
“Abigail Mills, welcome to the Agency.”  
“Thank you, Madam President.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Maybe it won’t be so bad.” I say, as we drive to the Agency.  
“Yeah, having to talk to someone about something they couldn’t possibly understand; it’ll be a picnic.” Abbie retorts.  
“I can come with you to every session.” I offer.  
She nods. “Sure.”  
“On the bright side, you got the job.”  
She looks over at me and smiles. God, that smile. It’s radiant.  
“Yeah, I got the job” She says and looks down at her badge and I.D.  
“I guess this makes you my boss now, huh?”  
“I’m not your boss.” I say as I pull up outside the Agency. I take her hand in mine. “This agency was created for the Witnesses to run. We’re in this together. We’re…co-bosses.”  
Her smile widens. A groan inwardly. My feelings for Abbie have become so intense that a mere smile from her is enough to…excite me. I try to walk as normally as I can when I get out of the car.  
“You’re here; great.” Miss Alex says as we enter the Vault.  
Miss Jenny is the first to note the gun resting on Abbie’s hip when she says, “Ah, you got the job.”  
“Of course; did you doubt me?” Abbie jokes.  
“Not for a second.” Miss Jenny says as she hugs Abbie.  
“Congratulations.” Miss Lara says.  
“Yeah, that’s great.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Thank you.”  
“Okay, down to business. Three more witches have come into their powers.” Miss Alex says.  
“The Mysterious Woman in the Woods is working fast.” I say.  
“And we still don’t know exactly who the remaining members are?” Abbie asks.  
“I’ve been looking at the list Miller gave us and so far, we’ve figured out the identities of 8 witches, ones all turned.” Master Jake says.  
“Who are they?” Abbie asks.  
“Sara Conway, Don Smith, Honey Loving, Alexandra Young, James Powers, Simon Rhoads, William Simpson, and Xander Huntington.” Miss Jenny answers.  
“Unfortunately, we’re figuring out identities too slow. At this rate, the Woman in the Woods will have turned all of the families and we’ll be no closer to figuring out Lilith’s plan.” Miss Lara says.  
“There may be someone we could talk to...” Abbie says.  
We all look at her.  
“If Lilith’s intention is world domination or destruction, whatever, there’s one other being around that we know was like that.”  
It dawns on me who she means. “No.”  
“He could know things about her.” Abbie says.  
“He’s not an option.”  
“Who are you talking about?” Miss Lara asks.  
“A few years ago, Crane and I met and angel. Orion.” Abbie answers her.  
“Orion the Zealot?” Miss Jenny scoffs. “We can’t trust him.”  
“Precisely.” I say.  
“Zealot? Whoa, take a step back and give us a backstory.” Miss Alex says.  
Abbie sighs. “We met an angel. We thought we could trust him, since, you know, he was an angel and all. He wasn’t a fan of Headless and said he had a way to kill him. Turns out he was just going to steal his powers and kill the human race instead. We put him down, broke his weapon, and he flew off.”  
“Haven’t seen him since. And we should keep it that way.” I add.  
“Besides, we have no idea where he is or how to get in contact with him.” Miss Jenny says.  
“That’s not true. He gave me a sigil to use if I wanted to call on him.”  
“Oh, you mean the one you kept from me?” I ask, sarcastically.  
She shoots me a glare. “The point is, I left it in the Archives. Ten bucks says it’s still there.”  
“No, he can’t be trusted.” I argue.  
“I don’t know Crane.” Miss Lara says. “I mean, we don’t know him, but I have been reading up on trap spells. We could summon him and trap him in a spell. Even after we question him, we could leave him down in your cell. He shouldn’t be able to break the spell.”  
“Crane, if he knows more about Lilith, we need to take this opportunity.” Agent Thomas says.  
“You guys don’t understand. He had a blade that could take out a horseman; he’s too dangerous.” Miss Jenny says.  
“Exactly.” I add.  
“He may know things. Like, how Lilith is connected to Abbie.” Master Jake says.  
“Don’t do that; don’t play that card.” I say.  
“But it’s true.” Abbie adds. “Look, Crane, you said we were in this together. That this was our team. And right now, it’s five against two.”  
I sigh. “'Democracy in action’ right?'” I say, quoting words she said to me years ago.  
Abbie smiles.  
“Fine. We go to Sleepy Hollow.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“You know this is a bad idea.” Miss Jenny whispers to me, as we search for a spell to trap an angel.  
“What would you have me do? We were outnumbered five to two.”  
“I don’t know; something. Orion’s bad news Crane.”  
“Yes, tell me something I don’t know.”  
“He’s gonna find a way to double cross us.”  
“I said, something I don’t know. Look, maybe we will find the right spell. In the meantime, why don’t we look for artifacts that trap an angel.”  
“Yeah, okay.” Miss Jenny agrees, sullenly.  
Miss Jenny fears finding Orion, and while I also believe he’ll try to trick us, I also am suspicious of Abbie’s motives. She knows how deceiving Orion can be. I look at her, working with Agent Thomas to find a spell. Why would she suggest finding him?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“I don’t think any of these spells are useful.” I say, with a hit of frustration.  
“Well, maybe Crane and Jenny are having better luck with an artifact or perhaps Lara will find a spell. She’s good at the ritual stuff.” Diana says.  
“Hopefully she’ll find something soon. The faster we find a spell, the faster we can get to Orion and hopefully he’ll know what Lilith plans to do.” I say.  
Diana agrees and then there’s silence.  
“Abbie, I want to run something by you.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Well, Crane’s birthday is next week and, well, we want to throw him a party.”  
“Okay…” I say.  
“Well, he hasn’t celebrated his birthday in years; actually, every year, he’d visit you, or rather, your…”  
“My grave, yeah.”  
“I know we got off on a rocky start, but I was hoping you would do me a favor and kind of keep him distracted while we finished planning his party. I think he’ll be in a more festive mood since you’re back.”  
“I’ll try, but even before I died, Crane never was big on celebrating his birthday.”  
“Yeah, well, somehow, I’m pretty sure you can persuade him otherwise.”  
“I think I found something.” Lara says.  
We all crowd around the desk she’s at.  
“It’s called The Angel Hex. You draw this symbol in the summoner’s blood. Then you summon the angel you want to trap. If done right, the spell will hold for basically eternity. The angel can’t get out.”  
“In the summoner’s blood?” Crane asks as he moves closers.  
“So that would be me. Great; let’s go.” I say.  
“Not just yet Lieutenant. We should make sure this is authentic.” Crane says.  
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re stalling Crane.”  
“I am not stalling; I just think we should do our research on it.”  
“I think the book’s pretty detailed.” I say.  
“Why are you in such a hurry to find him?” Crane asks.  
“Why aren’t you?” I shoot back. “He could have the answer we need on Lilith. I for one, would love to know what her plan is and what it has to do with me.”  
We have a bit of a stare down before Crane relents. “Fine.”  
“Good. Alex. Call a few agents down here. We’ll need people down here working while we go to Sleepy Hollow.” I say.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As the team gets ready to leave, Agent Espinosa comes in the Vault, along three other agents I don’t know.  
“Lieutenant, meet Agents Mandy Wilson, John Collins, Steve Davidson, and I believe you’ve already met Agent Espinosa.” Crane says.  
David gives me a warm smile and the other agents give me a head nod.  
“You’ve all been selected to help run the Vault while we’re gone.” Diana says.  
“You’re all very skilled agents, but right now, we need you all to continue our research while we’re gone.” This comes from Jenny.  
I give each agent a folder. “In these folders are reports of people going missing and returning to their families within the next day or two. However, when these people return home, they’re changed. They’re experiencing magical abilities. We believe someone is releasing these people’s witch abilities and not for the good. So far, eight out of twelve people have been turned. We need you to continue to search for the remaining four people by their ancestors.”  
“We should only be gone for the day, so don’t feel pressured by the time.” Crane says.  
“And don’t touch my toys.” Alex says.  
As we begin to pack up, David comes up to me.  
“Hey.” He says.  
“Hi.”  
“I see congratulations are in order.”  
I frown at him.  
“You’ve only been here a few weeks, and you already in the inner circle. You gotta tell me your secret.”  
I give a chuckle. “Well, I was already in the “inner circle”. I just went away for a while.”  
“Agent Mills, can I be frank?” David asks.  
“Uh, sure.”  
“I know, this is only our second encounter, and you don’t know me, but I’d like to get to know you.”  
I stare at him.  
“I’m sorry if that’s a bit forward, but I’ve learned, especially in this line of work, if I see a pretty woman I want to get to know, I should try to get to know her.”  
I chuckle. “Well, I appreciate your honesty, but I just got back and I just want to focus on the work right now.”  
“Ah, well I suppose this will be awkward now.” He says.  
“No, not at all. Like I said, I just want to focus on my work now, but maybe we can grab a cup of coffee one day. I suppose I should get to know my coworkers a bit better.”  
David smiles.  
“Are you ready, Lieutenant?” Crane asks, coming to stand near David.  
“Yup.” I say.  
“Lead the way.” Crane says.  
Crane follows me outside and to the car, where Jenny’s waiting. We pile in the car and the rest of the team piles in Diana’s car and make our way to Sleepy Hollow.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jenny’s POV  
“I didn’t think the Archives would still be up and running.” Abbie says as we park outside of it.  
“Well Madame President officially made it a landmark and kept the city from tearing it down. We then turned it into our Sleepy Hollow base.” I say.  
Abbie reads the building’s name. “Abbie’s Archive.”  
“As a way to honor you.” Crane says.  
Abbie smiles. "Home Sweet Home."  
“Shall we go in?” Crane says.  
Abbie nods and enters with Crane and I behind her.  
“Hey, you’re here.” Jake says  
Abbie barley acknowledges him as she looks around, watching agents buzz around.  
“Okay team, here’s that charm you asked for. Oh, I see you have a new addition to the team.” Agent Cals says.  
“Agent Cals, this is Abbie Mills, Lieutenant, this is agent Monica Cals. She runs the Archives for us.” Crane says.  
“Abbie Mills. As in—”  
“Yeah, my sister.” I say.  
“Wow, it’s…an honor.” Agent Cals says.  
“Love to stay and chat, but we’re on that deadline remember.” Diana cuts in.  
“Yeah, thanks for the charm.” Abbie says.  
“No problem. Also, the cell has been cleared, like you asked.”  
“Thanks Cals.” I say and we head down to the cell.  
“Abbie, are you sure you want to do this?” I ask once we get to the Masonic Cell.  
“We don’t have a choice.” She replies.  
She picks up the knife that sits on the table.  
“Perhaps I should be the one to bleed.” Crane says.  
Abbie gives an annoyed look. “Will you two stop? Orion gave the sigil to me. I’ll call him.”  
“Someone should.” Alex says.  
Without further hesitation, Abbie swiftly cuts her hand and lets her blood drain into a bowl. When it’s full, Crane immediately wraps Abbie’s hand. Abbie hands the blood to Diana and she and Lara go into the cell and begin making the symbols from the book with Jake and Alex’s help.  
“I should be the only one in there to question him.” Abbie states.  
“What, no.” I say.  
“Lieutenant, I don’t trust him, especially not with you.”  
“Why not with me?”  
“All I mean is that he’s very persuasive in a seductive kind of way.”  
“Crane honestly” Abbie says and rolls her eyes, “Trust me, he’s not my type.”  
“I don’t like you going in there alone.” I say.  
“Okay look, you’re right, Orion is dangerous. And maybe he was a little…flirty with me. Maybe I can use that to our advantage.”  
“Lieutenant, we’re a team, right?”  
“Yeah, a two for one special.” Abbie replies a sarcastically.  
Crane pays it no mind. “Then please allow me to go in with you.”  
“Fine.” Abbie sighs. “If it would make you two feel better.”  
“Yes.” I say.  
“Even though you can see and hear me through the glass.” She retorts.  
“Abbie? It’s ready.” Jake says as he, Diana, Alex, and Lara come back into the room.  
Abbie grabs the sigil and she and Crane make their way to the cell.  
“This is not a good idea.” I say, as the team crowds around the glass.  
“This could be our chance to find out what exactly Lilith wants with your sister.” Diana says.  
“Yeah, aren’t you just the slightest bit curious?” Jake asks.  
“No, not if I have to find out from him.” I say.  
But the team pays me no mind. We all watch as Abbie stands in the middle of the symbolized circle and put the sigil in palm of her hand, preparing to call Orion. My heart rate speeds as the sinking feeling that something bad is about to happen sets in.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
Abbie stands in the middle of the circle, puts the sigil in her hand, and closes her eyes. It doesn’t take long for Orion to appear.  
“Abigail, it’s been too long.” Orion practically purrs from her.  
I roll my eyes.  
Abbie turns and backs out of the circle to stand next to me.  
“Orion.” She says.  
“I see you’ve entrapped me in the Angel Hex. May I ask what for?”  
“What do you know about Lilith?” I ask.  
“Ah, Ichabod. You’re still here. Tell me, how’s the wife?” Orion goads.  
“Orion, answer the question.” Abbie says.  
“In a minute. Let’s catch up for a bit. How are you? You’re looking well for someone who’s supposed to be dead. Really well. Honestly, Abigail, you’re quite stunning.”  
“Stop that.” I say.  
“Ichabod, ever the jealous one. You know, I think he holds a touch for you Abigail. It’s the only reason why he would have that look on his face. The one that says he’ll kill me for so much as looking at you.”  
I clench my jaw.  
“Enough Orion! What do you know about Lilith?” Abbie snaps.  
“Fine. Lilith is the head boss. She was over Moloch, Pandora, and the Hidden one.”  
“We know that, what else do you know about her? What’s her plans? Who works for her now” I ask.  
“Lilith wants her do. She was forced from Earth long ago and now she wants back in.”  
“Okay, and what does she want?” Abbie asks.  
“I assume she wants to cure this world. She always did say it was beautiful but cursed. She wants to help this world grow to it’s full potential.” Orion replies.  
“I’m sure.” Abbie replies.  
“How close were you two?” I ask.  
Orion looks at me.  
“You speak as though you knew her personally.” I say.  
“I knew her before her exile. She was young, wild, and ambitious. Adam didn’t deserve her.”  
“Let me guess, you two fell in love over how beautiful the world could be?” Abbie says.  
“It was a sad day when she was exiled. I tried to find her but I never could find where the Brotherhood exiled her to. Shortly after that, the Horseman cut me down. But low and behold, I found out Lilith was building allies, starting with Moloch. Only he went off script; stopped following her order and wouldn’t release me.”  
“So when you finally got released from Purgatory, you wanted to continue her work.” Abbie says.  
“What do you know of the witches who tried to help raise Lilith?” I ask.  
“Not much. The Brotherhood cut them down before I could gain much knowledge of them. I had heard that they had two female witches working with them.”  
Abbie and I share a look.  
“What do you know of them?” Abbie asks.  
“The witches? Again, not much. I only know they managed to infiltrate Lilith’s followers and pose as allies. When she found out who they worked for, she swore vengeance. Why, do you think their lineage is still alive? Maybe it’s you Abigail. I could tell when we first met that you have witch blood in you.”  
“And yet, you never brought it up.” She replies.  
Orion shrugs. “At the time, it wasn’t the most important thing on my mind. Now, have my answers satisfied you?”  
Instead of answering him, I catch Abbie’s eye and nod toward the glass, indicating we should talk. She nods and we both head to the room.  
“Is it true? Do you think we have witch blood in us?” Miss Jenny asks Abbie when we step into the room.  
Abbie sighs. “Confession: Miller told me as much before he departed.”  
“Miller told you that you have witch blood and you’re just now telling us?” Agent Thomas says.  
“He told me that we have ancestors that worked with his Brotherhood to stop Lilith. April and June Summers. I wanted to look into it more before I brought it up.”  
“And did you find anything?” Miss Lara.  
“No, I haven’t been able to find any resources on them.”  
“Okay, so how about this; Alex, Lara and I will continue to look into the other families and you, Crane, Jenny, and Diana look into your family history.” Master Jake suggests.  
“Good idea.” Agent Thomas adds.  
“So, you guys head back to the Vault and we’ll stay here in Sleepy Hollow.” Abbie says.  
“Why would you stay here?” Miss Lara asks.  
“Sleepy Hollow’s our home. Our family history is here.” Miss Jenny answers.  
We break and Miss Lara, Miss Alex, and Master Jake head back to D.C.  
“Is this the part where you let me go?” Orion says.  
“Lara said we can leave him here and he shouldn’t be able to break free.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Good, let’s head back up to the Archive.” Miss Jenny says.  
She and Agent Thomas head back through the tunnels but Abbie hangs back.  
“What’s wrong?” I ask.  
“I..uh…”  
“What?”  
“I want to visit my grave, before we leave Sleepy Hollow.”  
I hesitate. “Are you sure?”  
“Yes, I want to see it.”  
“Okay. I’ll take you after we leave the Archives.”  
Abbie nods and with one final glace at Orion, she begins to head to the tunnels.  
“I’ll see you soon Witnesses.” Orion taunts from the cell.  
I spare him one final look then follow Abbie through the tunnels.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“Most of these books mention Grace, but no one before her.” Diana says as we search the Mills family history books in the Archives.  
“Well, these are just the firsts of a long list of family books we have.” Jenny says.  
“We’ve been at this for an hour and a half and still haven’t found anything solid.” Diana says.  
“Agents.” Agent Cals says coming to the table with a handful of books.  
“Here are the books you asked for. I also found a family tree list if that helps you.” She says, as Crane takes the books from her.  
Cals hands the family tree list to Diana.  
“Thanks.” Jenny says.  
“No problem. Just call me in you need anything else.”  
Diana starts listing off the tree. “Grace Harris married Joseph Dixon and she gave birth to Isaac Dixon who married Clare C. T. Foster married Abigail Jackson who gave birth to W. Foster who married M Dixon, Isaac and Clair’s child. W and M gave birth to Grace Foster who married Anthony Roberts and gave birth to Jacob Roberts. He married Ellie Williams, child of N Williams and K. Jacob and Ellie gave birth to Lori who had two daughters with Ezra Mills, Abbie and Jenny. Then there’s…huh.”  
“What is it?” I ask.  
“There’s Kerry Williams and Harry Thomas. My parents.”  
“We’re related.” Jenny says.  
“I guess it makes sense.” I say.  
Diana looks at me.  
“The Lieutenant and I found out that our Witness essence is passed down through our bloodlines. Grace Dixon was a Witness before the Lieutenant and—”  
“Molly would’ve been the Witness after me, since we share a bloodline.” I finish.  
“Huh. Nice to know I suppose. At least I know this wasn’t something random that just happened to Molly. And anyway, this is great and all, but we still don’t have anything before Grace.”  
“Maybe we do. Look at this.” Jenny says, handing over one of the family books to reveal another family tree.  
“This one ends with Grace’s birth.”  
This time, I list off the ancestors. “Grace’s parents are Honey Montgomery and James Harris. Honey is the daughter of Delia Freeman and Gerald Montgomery. Delia is the daughter of Sunny Taylor and Jim Freeman. Jim is the son of Melvin Freeman and Harriette Poe. Harriette is the daughter of Candy Lipton and Henry Poe and niece to John Poe. John married Cynthia Hill but had no children. John and Henry are the sons of Timothy Poe and Tammy Summers. Tammy is the daughter of John Summers and Remy Huntington and niece of…. April and June Summers who are the children of Carl Summers and Pam Glover. This is it.”  
“I can’t believe we have witch blood in us. It’s so strange.” Jenny says.  
“Why’s that?” Diana asks.  
Jenny and I hesitate, not wanting to bring it up in front of Crane. Crane must sense this, and decides to be the one to say.  
“A few years ago, there was a witch who attempted The Awakening Spell. A spell to call forth hidden magical powers within potential witches. The witch and her associate managed to start the spell, getting the attention of a few people. However, it did not affect the Mills sisters.”  
Ouch. ‘The witch and her associate’. That’s one way to talk about your wife and son. Are they really dead to Crane? Will he think so coldly of me when my part in this is done?  
“Perhaps it was just buried deep down.” Jenny reasons.  
“So, now what? We have what we’re looking for; do we attempt to do this Awakening Spell in the hopes that you two will be able to put Lilith down like your—our— ancestors did?” Diana asks.  
I start to speak, but Crane speaks first.  
“No. We have no way of narrowing down the spell to just Miss Jenny and the Lieutenant. And, your being related to them means that the spell could affect you too Agent Thomas. As well as Miss Molly and Miss Lara.”  
“So, we figure out how to narrow it down to Jenny and Abbie.”  
“It’s not safe.” Crane argues.  
“Then what do you propose we do?” Diana shoots back.  
Crane has no answer for that.  
“I think,” Jenny starts. “That this conversation where you’re talking about us like we aren’t here should stop. What do you think Abbie?”  
“Oh, I agree. 100 percent.” I say.  
Diana gives a bland stare and Crane looks down.  
“Now, Lilith has been releasing people’s magical power because their ancestors helped to raise her. She swore vengeance on our ancestors for double crossing her. I’m assuming Abbie and I would be the 12th family of witches and that Lilith wants us so she can release our powers and force us to help her. That’s clearly her connection with Abbie.” Jenny says.  
“But why just the Lieutenant?” Crane questions.  
“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to throw his suspicion.  
“Why has Lilith’s emissaries just approached you? Why not Miss Jenny as well?”  
“Yeah, that doesn’t make sense.” Diana agrees.  
“I can’t say why. Maybe it’s to keep me on the edge of this crazy feeling and to make you contemplate putting me down. Maybe it’s just her messing with us because we’re the Witnesses. Or, at least, you are. I don’t know. But, if this is about me and Jenny, then you’re on her list and she’s coming for you when she’s finished with me.” I say, hoping that sounds convincing.  
“So what do we do?” Diana asks.  
I sigh. “I don’t know.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
After gather up the research from the Archives, the ladies and I load the car and prepare to head back to D.C. However, as I’m driving back, I make a stop at the grave yard.  
“Ah, I’ll just stay here.” Agent Thomas says.  
“You said you wanted to see it.” Miss Jenny says to Abbie.  
Abbie gets out of the car and Miss Jenny shows her to her grave, with me bringing up the rear. Abbie leans down and touches the headless bobble head I put on her grave, before running her fingers along the different flowers on the grave.  
“The bouquet is from Dad. The pink roses are from me and the red ones are from Crane.” Miss Jenny says.  
“And the daffodils?” Abbie asks.  
“That…we don’t know. But daffodils often represent rebirth and new beginnings.” I say.  
“So…Lilith?” Abbie asks.  
“Possibly.” Miss Jenny says.  
“And what about yellow roses?”  
“Those are from me.” A voice says from behind me.  
We turn to see Captain Irving.  
“Irving.” Abbie says.  
“How you doing Mills?” Captain says.  
Abbie hugs him.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I heard a rumor you were back. I had to see for myself. So how’d you do it?”  
“I didn’t. Not exactly.” Abbie says and then gives the Captain a quick rundown of the situation.  
“I’m sorry Mills; you don’t deserve that.”  
Abbie shrugs. “That’s the business, right?” She says, sarcastically  
“So what do need? Whatever it is, I’m here.”  
“Frank, no. We couldn’t drag you back into this.” Miss Jenny says.  
“What about your family?” I ask.  
The Captain shakes his head. “I never got out of the business. I tried, but it’s kind of hard when you know so much. Besides that, Macy and Cynthia, ever curious, wouldn’t let it go either. I’ve been keeping tabs on different mysterious problems in the places we’ve been.”  
“Still, we couldn’t ask you to pack up and move for us.” Abbie says.  
Captain Irving shrugs. “D.C. seems like an interesting place. Macy’s always wanted to see the Capital. Honestly, it’s not an issue. Besides, there’s no way I can turn my back knowing something evil has its nails in you. Don’t forget, I know how that feels and it’s not pleasant. Just give me a few days and I’ll meet you guys in D.C.”  
“Thank you, Frank.” Miss Jenny says.  
I hold my hand out to him.  
“We need all the help we can get.” I say as he shakes my hand.  
“It means a lot, Irving.” Abbie says.  
“I should get going but…it’s good to see you Mills.” Captain says.  
“Likewise.” Abbie says.  
Captain Irving nods to Miss Jenny and myself before departing.  
“We should get going.” Abbie says.  
“Are you okay?” Miss Jenny asks.  
“Yeah. C’mon, let’s go.” She says and starts back to the car.  
Miss Jenny and I share a look.  
“Maybe we shouldn’t have brought her here.” Miss Jenny says.  
I shake my head. “I don’t think it’s that.”  
“Then what?”  
“I don’t know but she’s been acting strange the entire day. I mean, suggesting we contact Orion? She knows the dangers associated with him. No, something’s going on.”  
“Then it’s time we find out. Starting with, who puts that daffodil on her headstone each month.”  
“Right. And another thing, we should attempt to find your family grimoire. It may have a spell in it to help us defeat Lilith.”  
As we head to the car, worry surrounds me. Abbie’s acting strange and it’s sacring me. I don’t know if she’s suffering some internal battle from the other version of herself or Lilith. What’s more, is that I don’t know how to help her. But the thing that’s driving me crazy the most is, there’s this sinking feeling that I can’t shake telling me that Abbie can’t be trusted.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I’m conflicted as we drive back to D.C. On one hand, I was thrilled to see Irving. And if anyone knows what I’m going through, it’s him. On the other hand, him coming back into the fold just means that’s one more person I have to betray, made worse by the fact that he’s like family.  
“Are you okay?” Crane asks me from the passenger seat.  
“Fine.” I say.  
“It’s just, you’ve been quiet for most of the ride.”  
“Really, I’m fine.” I say and give him a reassuring smile, or as reassuring as I can.  
“Lieutenant, I just want you know—” Crane starts but is cut off when we hear a loud screech and then somethings hits the windshield. I swerve and hit the breaks as I go off road. The car comes to a stop just before we hit a tree.  
“Is everyone okay?” I ask.  
“Yeah, we’re fine.” Jenny answers.  
“What the hell was that?” Diana says.  
“I don’t know.” Crane says as he gets out of the car.  
I follow suit. In the middle of a road lies a man. Crane begins to approach him.  
“Crane, don’t.” I say.  
“We can’t just leave him here.”  
“He came out of nowhere. For all we know, that thing’s not human.”  
Before Crane or I can say another word, the man jumps up and grabs Crane. The man puts pressure on Crane’s neck and then Crane’s out.  
“Crane!”  
“Deliver upon your side of the deal and you can have him back.” The man hisses as Jenny and Diana get out of the car. But it’s too late. The man disappears with Crane.  
“What was that?” Jenny says.  
“I don’t know, but it took Crane.” I say as I head back to the car.  
“Where are you going?” Diana asks.  
“Back to the Archives; c’mon.”  
Lilith is trying to make a point by taking Crane. She can get me to do what she wants because she can get to me anytime she likes. And though fear is threatening to overtake me, so is my anger. Because if she hurts Crane, so help me God, I will send her back to the hell she crawled out of myself.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
I come to with someone slapping my face.  
“Wakey, wakey handsome.” A musical female voice says to me.  
I try to open my eyes but find that I’m blindfolded and tied to a chair.  
“Who are you?” I ask the voice.  
“Surely you know.” The woman retorts.  
I hesitate. “Lilith.”  
“Handsome and smart. I like that in a man.” She says.  
“What do you want?”  
“You have something I need.”  
“Really? And what’s that?”  
“Influence over the Mills sisters. I want you to help me get what I want.”  
“Well we both know I’m not going to do that, so what do you really want? Why use one of your henchmen to grab me?”  
“Henchmen? Oh no, that was simple a Dybbuk. That person was long dead, I just needed one of my babies to body hop since I’m short staffed at the moment. And like I said, you have influence over the Mills. You can persuade them to help me.” Lilith says.  
“I’m not going to help you. Neither are Abbie or Jenny.”  
“Hm, well, here’s hoping I can change your mind.”  
I hear a female voice begin some sort of incantation, but it’s not Lilith. Before I can get to caught up on the voice change, pain explodes in my skull. The last thing I hear is the woman’s laughter.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I wait until Diana and Jenny pass out from exhaustion. We’ve been looking in books and articles all evening, long past clock out time for the other agents. Now that we’re the only ones in the Archives and Diana and Jenny are sleep, I sneak down the tunnels to the Masonic Cell.  
“I was wondering when you’d come.” Orion says.  
I don’t reply to him. Instead, I enter the circle.  
“What are you doing?” Orion asks.  
I break the circle from the inside.  
Orion looks at me.  
“I shrug. “I guess the spell wasn’t strong enough to keep you.”  
Orion smiles.  
“Go, now.” I say.  
“I’ll tell Lilith you said hi.” Orion says and then he’s gone.  
I let out a long sigh.  
“I’m sorry team.” I say.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As I creep back into the archives, I see that Jenny and Diana are still sleep. I’m just about to wake them up, when a loud crash sounds behind me. Jenny and Diana jerk awake with a start. I look back to see Crane on the floor. We rush to him.  
“Crane, are you okay?” I ask him.  
He slowly sits up.  
“That was not pleasant.” He says.  
“What happened?” Diana asks.  
“Lilith. She used a…a Dybbuk she called it, to grab me.”  
“What did she want?” Jenny asks.  
“She wanted me to convince you two help her. When I refused she had some woman magically torture me.”  
“The woman, did you get a good look at her?” Diana asks.  
“No, she had me blindfolded. I could tell it was another woman by the change in her voice.”  
“Probably the Woman in the Woods.” Jenny says.  
“Are you alright?” Diana asks Crane as he stands.  
“I’ll be fine. Why are we still in the Archives?”  
“We came back to research some kind of spell to locate you.” Jenny says.  
“What made her let you go?” Diana asks.  
“We should go.” I say.  
“I don’t know why she did. One minute I was in pain and then the next, I’m on the floor here. It was strange.”  
“Okay, why don’t we go home? I think we all need some rest.” Jenny says.  
Crane nods and Jenny and Diana head outside. I hang back.  
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask him.  
“All the better for seeing you.”  
“Seriously Crane.”  
“I’m fine. Honestly, the worst thing I have is a spitting headache. Come on, let’s head back.”  
I nod and we head to the car. As we start the ride back to D.C., anger and despair fill me. I hate Lilith for forcing my hand like that. I hate how she flaunts her power over me. I also feel helpless. I can’t disobey what she says and I can’t tell Jenny or Crane either because then she’ll hurt them. I can only hope that Jenny and Crane will find someway to forgive me when this is all over.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“Orion, it’s been too long.” Lilith says, as Katrina lets him in the house.  
Orion bows to Lilith.  
“I agree. And I am at your service, milady.”  
“Oh, I’ll put your words to test later.” Lilith says.  
Orion smirks and then nods to Headless.  
“No hard feelings?” He asks him.  
“Trust Angel, we’re all on the same side here.” Katrina says.  
“Nice to see you too Katrina. Now, shall we commence with our plans?”  
“Not yet love. This is a chess game and slow and calculated wins it.” Lilith says.  
“Will you let me be your king then?”  
“I’d have you no other way.” Lilith smirks.  
End of Episode Three


	4. Lilith and Her Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie and Crane investigate a monster of Carib myth with the help of an old friend. Diana and Lara try to find out where Lilith's hideout is, resulting in them getting caught up in Abbie and Crane's case. Jenny continues to search for the Mills family's grimoire. Jake and Alex search for the last three witches Lilith needs before she comes for the Mills sisters. Crane gets a surprise.

Episode 4: Lilith and Her Games

“How many more families do we need outside of the Mills sisters?” Lilith asks.  
“Just three.” Katrina says.  
“And still no luck finding them, Henry?”  
“Not yet, Mistress but we are getting close.” Henry answers.  
“My time here is almost up; even with Joyner and Bryson’s powers, I’m begging to weaken. I’ve used too much energy up with Abigail. I have another month and a half at best before I’m forced off Earth.”  
“We have to find the other three families before then.” Katrina says.  
“There has to be something else we can do in the meantime.” Orion says.  
“There is one thing. I said I wouldn’t do it again because they always went rouge, but with the Witnesses getting so close, I suppose it will serve as a distraction and an energy source.”  
“What do you mean?” Katrina says.  
“Every time the Witnesses took out one of my emissaries, they’re energy would revert to me; Moloch, Pandora, the Hidden one. Even lesser creatures. So, it’s time we start releasing evil on Sleepy Hollow and D.C.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abbie’s POV  
“C’mon Crane, keep it up.” I pant.  
“Ah, Lieutenant, I can’t hold it much longer.” Crane pants back.  
“Yes, you can. Just a few more seconds.”  
“Ah….nope.” Crane says, then stands from our yoga pose.  
“Seriously.” I say.  
“I thought I knew pain, but nothing compares to the torture of the chair pose.”  
“Oh, please, out of all the poses we’ve done this morning, that one by far was the easiest.” I say.  
“Easy? My thighs are on fire.” Crane says.  
I laugh. “Well, I guess it would be harder for you to keep up. I mean, it’s not every day a person turns 311.” I tease.  
“Ah, you remembered.”  
“Of course I remembered; how could I forget. Your birthday is my phone’s password. Happy birthday Crane.”  
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”  
“So, what do you want to do today? We could hand the reigns to Diana and Jenny.”  
“No, the stakes are too high on our Lilith problem to not have all hands-on deck. Today should just be treated like a normal day.”  
“It’s your birthday; we have to do something.”  
“I don’t know; I don’t want anything big.” Crane says.  
“Okay, well how about we do a dinner, just the two of us, tonight?”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay?”  
“Yes, that sounds good.”  
I smile. “Good. I’m gonna go take a shower before I head out to my therapist appointment. You’re still coming with me, right?”  
“Of course. Are you nervous about today?”  
“Well, I’m not thrilled about having to go, but I’m trying to make the best of it.”  
“Just know, I will be here for you and so will the team.”  
I nod. “I know.”  
I smile at him again and then head to the bathroom. I actually don’t mind going to therapy. That is, I’m not so opposed to it anymore. I need someone to talk to since I can’t talk to the team. Lying to them is truly eating me up and I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing it. So, if I can’t tell them, maybe I can find a way to tell my therapist.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
As I’m making breakfast, the elevator dings and Miss Jenny steps out.  
“Whoa, Crane in a tee shirt and sweats? Who are you?” She says.  
I chuckle. “The Lieutenant and I were doing yoga and it’s much easier to move around in this.”  
“Huh. Well, it’s a good look for you. And in other news, good morning birthday guy!” She says.  
“Does no one forget anything around here?”  
“Oh, come on, don’t be such grouch; it’s your birthday. You’ve made it another year without becoming Lucifer’s mindless servant. That’s a big deal.”  
“You’re right. I am grateful to still be of sound and mind. Would you care for some breakfast?”  
“Sure.” She says.  
“So, what brings you by? Surely you didn’t come all this way just to say happen birthday?”  
“Ah, no.” Miss Jenny says as she digs into the food.  
“There’s been a…complication.”  
“Meaning?”  
“Orion escaped.”  
“What?”  
“Monica called early this morning. She said she went down to the cell to get something and Orion was gone.”  
“Someone let him out.”  
“No. The circle was broken inward, not out. He broke himself out. I guess the spell wasn’t strong enough.” Miss Jenny says.  
“Great. Just add that to the list of problems we already have.”  
“What’s wrong?” Abbie says, coming out of the hall.  
“Orion escaped last night.” I say.  
“What?” She says.  
“The spell wasn’t strong enough to hold him.” Miss Jenny says.  
“So we can only assume—” She starts but I finish for her.  
“He’s trying to align himself with Lilith.”  
“Great.” She says.  
I sigh. “Your session starts soon; I should get ready.” I say as I set a plate next to Miss Jenny as well as a cup of coffee.  
Then I head to the bathroom to take a shower. I try to push Orion aside for now, but I can’t. It doesn’t make sense. That spell was supposed to hold him. I don’t know how he got out of it, but I intend to find out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“Rocky way to start off his birthday.” Jenny says.  
“Yeah. It seems like Lilith always manages to stay a step ahead of us. You know, outside of us, she only has three more families to go.”  
“Even if she gets those three, we just have to make sure she doesn’t get us. And in the meantime, we should be looking for our grimoire, if we even have one.”  
“Yeah.” I say.  
“So, he doesn’t know about tonight right?”  
“Nah, I told him it’ll just be me and him.”  
“Hmm. So, how are you dealing with having to talk to a shrink?”  
“Just trying to make the best of it.”  
“You know, I can go with you if you need me to.”  
“Nah, it’s okay; Crane said he’ll go.”  
“Okay, well I’m gonna head back to the trailer to keep looking through our books. See you later.” Jenny says.  
“See you later.” I say.  
My guilt threatens to swallow me up as I watch Jenny leave. I feel so shitty for lying to her and Crane and the team. Maybe this is what Lilith wants; for me to feel guilty and for that guilt to eat me up to the point that I become my own undoing. I don’t know, but if that’s the case, I need to find the grimoire before that happens.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“This brings back memories.” I say as we sit in the lobby of the therapist office.  
“I bet it’ll be over before you know it.” Crane says.  
“Sure. Hey, thanks for coming with me. And for keeping the optimism.”  
“It’s my pleasure.”  
I start to say more but my name gets called.  
“Abbie Mills. You can come in now.”  
I sigh and get up.  
“I’ll be right here, awaiting your return.” Crane says.  
I smile then walk into the therapist’s office.  
“Hello, I’m Dr. Kelly Price; you can call me Kelly.” She says as she closes the door. “Take a seat.”  
Dr. Kelly is a tall woman, with dark chocolate skin, warm brown eyes, and tight shoulder length curls.  
“So, the president herself recommended me as your doctor. I want to start by saying this-”  
“Is a safe space and we can talk about anything I want? Yeah, this isn’t my first rodeo.” I say.  
Eyebrows raised, she nods and leans back in her seat, with a smirk. “Something like that. Okay. So, is there anything you’d like to talk about today?”  
“Not particularly.”  
I was ready to bring up my plight, only now that I’m here, my nerves are getting the better of me.  
“Ms. Mills, this hour can either go by in a flash as we talk, or painfully slow as we sit here and stare at one another.”  
“Look, I’m only here because I have to be. While I don’t mind talking, I just have nothing to talk about.”  
“Do you do that a lot?” Dr. Kelly asks.  
“What?”  
“This whole tough girl act, where you brush off your emotions.”  
“Okay, I’m not brushing off anything; I don’t have anything to talk about.”  
“Really? Because, my notes say that you suffer from PTSD and that you have intense, frightening nightmares. It’s not healthy to bottle that stuff up, Ms. Mills.”  
“Well, I think your notes blow things a bit out of proportion. I sometimes have nightmares about things that frighten me. Who doesn’t? As for the PTSD, well…I feel fine.”  
Dr. Kelly sighs. “Abbie, can I be frank?”  
I nod.  
“You’re deflecting your trauma and bottling up your emotions. If you keep this up, it won’t be long before you burst. I’ve seen this in a lot of my patients, especially black women. And we, as black women, need to do better at taking care of our own health. Look, I know you think you have the weight of the world on your shoulders-”  
I snort. You have no idea  
“But,” she continues. “You need to let go of that thought. It’s okay to talk to someone, to show emotion. That’s part of what makes you so strong, and from everything I’ve read in your files, you are strong.”  
I sigh. “Okay. Fine. I…I have nightmares about being alone. I’m in my house, but there’s no one there but me. When I go outside, there’s my neighborhood, but that’s it. When I try to leave, I just always end back up at my house.”  
“Where do these dreams come from?”  
“…I don’t know. But it’s plagued me for years now.”  
“In your dream do you ever get out of the cycle?”  
“Um…no. I…”  
“Abbie?”  
“Can we talk about something else for now? Thinking about that hurts my head.”  
“Sure.” Dr. Kelly says, as she jots something down on her notepad.  
“Let’s talk about your personal life.”  
“We weren’t before?” I retort.  
“I want to know more about your support system.”  
“Ah. My sister Jenny and my partner, Ichabod Crane.”  
“And how long have you and Crane been together?”  
It takes a minute for the question to register. “Un no. Crane and I are just friends. When I said partner, I meant working partner.”  
“Oh. So, do you live alone?”  
“No, I’m staying with Crane.”  
“And you’ve known him for how long?”  
“Uh, maybe about three or four years. It feels like it’s been longer than that.”  
“Right. How do you two live together?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Is it harmoniously or do you guys butt heads?”  
“Uh, why are these questions relevant?”  
“I’d like to know if your family is supportive.”  
“Oh, well sure we butt heads every now and then, but for the most part, we work and live together peacefully.”  
“Are you dating anyone?”  
“No. Honestly, it’s kind of hard for me to date.” In the past it has been anyway.  
“Why? You’re a beautiful woman.”  
“In my line of work, the work often follows me home. It’s just kind of hard to shut that off, or to make people understand.”  
“I can understand that. Still, you have to make time. It’s important to maintain healthy friendships and relationships.”  
“Like I said, it’s hard. Honestly, I think most of the guys I’ve tried to date in the past have been a little intimidated by my relationship with Crane.”  
“Was there a reason to be?”  
“Reason to be intimidated by Crane? No. Like I said, we’re just friends. We’re close but…”  
“How close are you two? Do you two partake in activates that are very intimate or could be seen as intimate by others?”  
Well, when given the choice, he killed his wife to save me so…  
“I don’t know, I guess there are moments that may seem…intimate to outsiders, but like I said, we’ve always kept in platonic.”  
“Are you okay with this platonic nature?” Dr. Kelly asks.  
I let out a sigh. “Wh…Why are you asking me this? Why is it relevant?”  
“Well, you said that the men of your past relationships have all had some sort insecurity about Crane. Maybe that’s something to look at.”  
“Okay, well, like I said, there is nothing going on between me and Crane. There’s nothing to look at. We’re just friends.”  
“Okay. I know you said you’re not dating anyone, but is there someone you’re interested in?”  
“Uh, one of my coworkers asked me out for coffee, but I turned him down. I’m just not in a rush to get into a relationship.”  
“I understand. But there’s nothing wrong with getting a cup of coffee. That being said, there is absolutely no rush; I’m just trying to get a sense of your social life. What about friends outside of Crane?”  
“Well, there’s my sister. That’s about it. Maybe two or three of my coworkers but, I just met them so…”  
A timer beeps and Dr. Kelly goes to turn it off. “Oh, that’s it for this session, but I look forward to seeing you next week. It was nice meeting you, Abbie.”  
“Thanks. You too.” I say as I get up and shake her hand.  
When I exit the room, Crane is looking intensely at his phone.  
“Jeez, whoda thought you’d become a phone zombie Crane?” I joke.  
“Ah, Lieutenant, we have a problem.” Crane says as he stands.  
“What is it?” I ask as we make our way back down to the car.  
“There’s been a murder.” Crane says, as we make our way across the parking lot.  
“Headless?” I ask, as we get in the car.  
“No. According to the report Miss Alex sent me, it started as a missing persons case. The victim, Linda Fanning, went missing three days ago. Authorities found her this morning, with claw markings on her body, broken bones and her tongue cut out. Here’s the address of the scene.”  
“That’s disturbing, but what makes it our kind of case?” I ask as I put the address in the GPS.  
“Well, a few people in the area suggest that it may be a Kanaima; a human, lizard hybrid of some Carib tribe myths. There’s a Carib tribe nearby the crime scene we could talk to about it. Why would Lilith release this creature thought?”  
“You think it’s Lilith?” I ask.  
“Don’t you? It has to be one of her emissaries.”  
“Perhaps, but maybe not. This seems kind of random and Lilith doesn’t do random. What would be the purpose of her releasing this thing?”  
“I don’t know, but I suspect we’ll soon find out.”  
Yeah, that’s what worries me.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Officers on the scene brief Crane and I about Linda Fanning once we get there.  
“Have there been any other cases like this?” Crane asks an officer.  
“Not in recent times; not down here anyway. There may have been a couple years ago. I can get you all those files if you’d like.” The officer replies.  
“Thank you.” I say.  
“For this to have been a recent attack, maybe it was Lilith.” Crane says.  
“I don’t know; it stills seems random. I think we need to do more research on—” I’m cut off my someone calling my name.  
“Abbie, Crane?” A female voice calls out.  
I turn around to see who it is.  
“Foster?” I say.  
“How…didn’t you…what is this?” Sophie Foster says.  
“We don’t exactly know how, but to sum up a long story, I’m back from the dead.” I say.  
Foster stares at me.  
“Yeah, gonna need the long version.” She replies.  
Crane then proceeds to tell her about everything.  
“So, this Lilith wants you and Jenny because your ancestors pissed her off?”  
“Pretty much.” I say.  
“Agent Foster, if I may, what are you doing here? I don’t see any other federal agents here.” Crane asks.  
“I’ve been following cases like this for months now.”  
“Months?” He asks.  
“Yeah. I finally decided to look into what happened to my parents again and I keep coming back to cases like these. I was just on my way to talk to some of the residents in the nearby community. Wanna come?”  
“Yup.” I say as Crane’s phone rings.  
“It’s Agent Thomas. I’ll be back.”  
“So, Homeland Security. That’s a step up from the FBI.” Foster says to me.  
“Trust me, FBI was all I wanted. But HS isn’t so bad. Especially since we don’t have to hide what we’re actually hunting for from officials.”  
“Yeah, must be nice to have your own Agency. So, Mills, is this for real? This is really you and not some doppelganger?”  
“I’m one hundred percent the Abbie you knew. Whatever plans Lilith has for me, or as to why she brought me back, I don’t know.”  
It’s a half-truth since I really don’t know what Lilith will do to me once this is all over.  
Foster nods her head slowly.  
“Agent Thomas and Miss Lara are going to continue searching for Lilith’s whereabouts, Miss Jenny is still searching for your family grimoire, and Miss Alex and Master Jake are still looking for the remaining three families. Are you ready to go?” Crane says, as he comes back up to us.  
“Yeah. Foster, we’ll follow you there?” I say.  
“Yeah.”  
We depart for the car.  
“I forgot to ask, how was your session this morning?” Crane asks, once we’re in the car and following Foster.  
“Fine as far as first sessions go. It was more of a get to know you meeting more than anything else.”  
“Know that I am here for you as well.” Crane says.  
“Yes, I know. You keep saying.”  
“Lieutenant, I just want—”  
“I know Crane. And I appreciate it, but I’m fine. Trust me, if something was bothering me, I’d tell you.”  
And if we find the Mills family grimoire and I find the right spell that blocks Lilith from spying on me, I’ll tell you everything soon.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jenny’s POV  
I’ve been looking through these books for a week now, and still have yet to find anything that even references a grimoire. There’s a lot of mention of Grace and her knowledge of spells. I’m assuming if there is a grimoire, Grace would be the only person to know where it is or what happened to it. Frustrated from looking and not finding anything, I shove the books aside.  
“Damn it Grace, where is it?” I say.  
My phone rings, bringing me out of my frustration a bit.  
“Hello.” I say.  
“Hey Jen, it’s Monica. I have a few more records about your family history; it was books mentioning your grimoire that you wanted right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Okay, well, I think these are the last of them; I’m dropping them off at the Agency now.”  
I sigh. “Okay, thanks Monica.”  
“No problem. Text me if you need anything else.”  
I’m half tempted to not bother with her findings, only because I fear they won’t yield anything either. But I toss that thought aside. I have to keep looking, for both my sake and Abbie’s. We have to find the damn thing before Lilith finds the last three families. If she gets to us first, well, I’m sure Crane becoming Lucifer’s mindless servant will be the least of my problems. Most likely, Abbie and I will be Lilith’s.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When I get to the Vault, I see Alex and Jake, but no sign of Lara or Diana.  
“Hey. Where’s mother and daughter?” I ask.  
“Lara found a locator spell and tried it out. Right now, she and Diana are following it to see if it leads to Lilith.” Jake says.  
“What are you doing here; I thought you were working from home today?” Alex asks me.  
“Yeah, then Monica called and said she was dropping off some more books.”  
“No one’s been down here.” Jake says.  
“Here, I’ll buzz Stevie.” Alex says and buzzes the receptionist.  
“Yes, Ms. Wells?” Stevie answers.  
“Hey, did Agent Cals drop something off for Jenny?”  
“A box of books. I started to bring it down but agent Espinosa offered to bring them. I assumed he had.”  
“Okay, thanks Stevie.”  
“Why hasn’t he brought them then?” I ask.  
“Just texted him; he’s on his way down.” Jake says.  
Minutes later, David arrives in the Vault with the box of books.  
“I’m so sorry Agent Mills. I was about to bring them to you, when I found research on the remaining three witch families. I just got caught up.”  
“What kind of research?” Alex asks.  
“And did it yield anything?” Jake adds.  
“I found a few more family trees but they stop five generations ago. We’re still trying to figure out if the line ends there or who the descendants might be. Anyway, here’s your box. Again, my apologizes.” David says.  
I take the box from him.  
“Thanks David.” Jake says.  
“Keep us posted.” Alex adds.  
David departs and I watch him as he goes. Something just feels off about his explanation. I make a mental note to tell Stevie to hand further deliveries to me herself.  
“I’m assuming you haven’t found anything yet since you had more books sent over?” Jake asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts.  
“No. All my findings thus far have pointed me to Grace. She was the last one to have the grimoire. Most of the books back at the trailer are most of Grace’s things and yet…still no grimoire. I’m hoping I find it in these books. If not, I don’t know what else to do.”  
“Well, maybe we could ask Grace.” Jake suggests.  
I look at him.  
“Maybe there’s a spell in you mom’s spell journal or in the spell books that we already have that we can use to call out to Grace.” He explains.  
“I don’t know. I’m feeling desperate and after what happened after Crane casted a spell in desperation, I decided I wasn’t going try it.”  
“You mean the mirror demon? Surely we can find a way to narrow it down to Grace.” Alex says.  
“Still…I don’t know.”  
“Well, at least keep it in your mind as a last resort.” Jake says.  
“Yeah, okay. So, what about you guys? Have you had any luck on the witch front?” I ask.  
“Not much. Much like what David said, we’re having trouble tracking down the descendants based on the outdated family trees.” Jake says.  
“Maybe there’s a spell we can do to find them?” I say, jokingly.  
“That’s not a bad idea.” Alex says.  
“What?” I say.  
“Maybe there’s a spell we can do on the family tree to tell us who the descendants are. It’s a long shot, but maybe if we find the right spell…” She says.  
“That’s a hellava long shot.” I say.  
“Yeah, but we have nothing to go on. I’m out of ideas.”  
“Well, what if we follow the witches who have already been turned?” Jake suggests.  
“It’s too dangerous.” I say. “Not to mention, we’re stretched thin right now, with Abbie and Crane working on their own case, Diana and Lara trying to actually find Lilith’s hideout, and me looking for the grimoire. It would just be the two of you with no backup.”  
“So we’ll take a few agents with us. It’s this or waste more time looking for spells to track them down by some old family tree list. No offense, Al.” He says.  
Alex just shrugs. “I’d actually go with his idea.”  
“I don’t know; the last time you two went off on your own…”  
“We won’t be on our own; we’ll take David and two other agents. Jen, we’ll be careful.” Alex says.  
“Okay, fine. Just…stay safe, and keep me updated.” I say.  
“Of course.” Jake says.  
“I’m gonna take these home to compare them with what I already have. See you later.”  
“See ya.”  
I sigh. I’m not comfortable with Alex and Jake going off by themselves but we have no other options. Here’s hoping Diana and Lara are having better luck than we are.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
“Here? This is where Lilith’s hide out is?” I ask, disbelieving.  
Lara and I are parked outside of an abandoned eye clinic.  
“Well, it’s abandoned and forgotten about.” Lara tries to reason.  
“Yeah, but…come on. Here? I don’t know, it just seems too public to have a headless horseman come in and out of.”  
“Sure, but Fredricks Manor was abandoned and well known, yet Henry worked out of it. And anyway, it doesn’t hurt to look around.”  
“Unless she’s actually in there.” I mutter, as we get out of the car.  
The doors are locked, we learn as we try to enter.  
“Maybe she’s out?” I say.  
Lara concentrates on the door and utters an incantation. The lock clicks and the door gives way when Lara tries it again.  
“You’re getting pretty good at that.” I comment.  
Lara gives a smile as we enter the building.  
“Are you practicing to be a…witch?” I ask her as we look around.  
“Not really. Just small little helpful things. Like how to get in a locked building when the Mills sisters aren’t around to pick it for you.” Lara jokes.  
“Have you ever thought about it?” I ask.  
“About what?”  
“Becoming a witch. If it were possible.”  
“I guess there would be pros and cons to it. It would come in handy for moments like this. But that’s not something to worry about since we don’t have witch blood.” She replies.  
“But what if we did?”  
Lara stops looking around and stares at me.  
“What are you getting at Diana?”  
“I just wanted to know how’d you feel about possibly being a witch.”  
“There’s no possibly to it; Abbie and Jenny are the witches in this team.”  
“And if I told you we were related to them?”  
“We’re related to Abbie and Jenny?”  
I nod. “That’s why you—Molly—was chosen to be the next Witness. We’re related to the Mills and therefore Dixon bloodline.”  
“Why dance around it? You could’ve just told me.”  
“Well, I want to tell Molly about it, but if you had reservations about it, I was gonna hold off.”  
“Well, I think you should tell her. And introduce her to Abbie. It’s been a month and they haven’t met yet.”  
“Yeah.”  
We search the entire building but don’t find Lilith or any proof that she has been here.  
“There’s nothing here and yet…” Lara starts,  
“It feels like we’re being watched.” I finish.  
“Yeah.” Lara says and waves her flashlight around.  
“We should go.” I say.  
We start to move for the door when a hissing sound stops our movement. But when we look around the room nothing is there.  
“Let’s go. Now.” I say.  
We head for the door again and this time a screech rings out across the room. Lara’s then no longer at my side. She’s on the ground with a lizard human thing on top of her. I don’t hesitate. I shoot at it. First at its tail then at its arms. When it turns to look at me, Lara stabs it in what would be its shoulder. The thing screeches and crawls off of Lara. It then lashes out at me and tries to swipe me with its claws.  
“Lara go!”  
Lara doesn’t hesitate. She gets up and hightails it for the door. The thing comes for me again but I roll out the way and in front of the door. I take one final shot at it then haul ass out the building and to the car. Lara’s already waiting and opens the door for me. I practically dive in the car and Lara shreds out of the parking lot.  
“What the hell was that?” She says more than asks.  
“I don’t know. Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”  
“Yeah.”  
“You think Lilith sent that thing?” Lara asks.  
“I don’t know. How would she even know we were there?”  
“It had to be a set up. She had to have been there long enough for her sent to linger there. Or she knows we’re looking for her and she’s sending us on a wild goose chase.”  
“She’s playing with us.” I say.  
Always games with Lilith. That bitch came after my daughter. If she wants to play games, then we can play.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“We’ve been all over the community. Where exactly does this expert live?” I ask Agent Foster as Abbie and I continue to follow her.  
“I can’t help it if no one wanted to talk about this thing, but this one should be it.” She replies as she knocks on the door.  
There’s a pause before a middle-aged Native woman opens the door.  
“Yes?”  
We show her our badges.  
“My name is Ichabod Crane. This is Agent Mills and Agent Foster.” I say.  
“We would like to ask you a few questions.” Abbie says.  
“About what?” The woman asks.  
“The Kanaima.” Agent Foster answers.  
The woman opens the door. “Come in.”  
“Al, you better come in here.” The woman calls out. “My name is Aiyana. This is my husband, Alo. Al, they are police.”  
“How can we help you?” Mr. Alo asks.  
“We found a woman’s beaten and mutilated body in the woods near here.” Agent Foster says.  
“Mutilated?” Mrs. Aiyana says.  
“Her tongue was cut out and she had claw marks all over her body.” Abbie says.  
“We’ve heard rumors that this woman’s murder fits that of a Kanaima. We were hoping you could tell us more about the creature.” I say.  
“The Kanaima is a creature of revenge. Once it takes over, it will stop at nothing to kill its intended target. That can take weeks or years. The Kanaima is patience, vengeful spirit. It can come about one of two ways: it can possess an animal or human or a human with such hate in his heart may create a Kanaima. If the latter happens, there’s almost no hope for the human. The Kanaima has control of the human and when it doesn’t, the human can fall victim to the Kanaima’s venom.” Mrs. Aiyana says.  
“So the woman must have known the Kanaima.” Foster’s says.  
“Or someone ordered it to attack her.” Mr. Alo says.  
“How so?” Abbie asks.  
“On occasion, a Kanaima will look for a master to serve. This master can order the Kanaima to do its bidding once it has the Kanaima trusts.”  
“Lilith.” I say.  
“It’s still to random. Why kill this woman? Not to mention, Foster’s been following cases like this for months. It couldn’t have been Lilith then.” Abbie says.  
“So Lilith managed to gain its trust. That’s how she can order it around.”  
While Abbie and I are discussing this, Agent Foster turns back to the couple.  
“I’ve been searching for my parents who went missing a few years ago, but I always come back to these kinds of cases. Does that mean something?”  
“A Kanaima must inhabit one or both of your parents.”  
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. My parents went missing on an archeological dig. How would….”  
“They must have disturbed something they shouldn’t have, my dear.” Mrs. Aiyana says.  
“They must have been possessed by the spirit of a Kanaima if they in fact didn’t create it themselves.” Mr. Alo adds.  
“How do we kill one?” Abbie asks.  
“And is there any way to save the host?” Agent Foster adds.  
“Well, some say they’re scared of their own reflection and others say you must let the Kanaima kill its host with its own venom. As for saving the host, I don’t know of such a way.” Mrs. Aiyana says.  
“I’m sorry but I don’t know of a way either.” Mr. Alo says.  
Agent Foster sighs.  
“Thank you for you time.” Abbie says.  
“Yes, thank you. You’ve been most helpful.” I say.  
“Do not be distraught Agent. Just because we don’t know of a way to save the host, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. There is always a spell, or chant, or artifact that overrides evil. All you have to do is find that loophole.” Mrs. Aiyana says to Agent Foster.  
“Thank you.” Agent Foster says.  
“Maybe this is all just apart of Lilith’s game.” I say once we’re back outside.  
“But to what end?” Abbie asks.  
“Distraction? Instead of looking for the last three witches, we’re investigating a murder case. Miss Jenny’s looking for the grimoire and Miss Lara and Agent Thomas are looking for Lilith’s hideout.”  
Abbie sighs then looks to Agent Foster.  
“Foster, you okay?”  
“Let me come to your Vaults with you.” She says. “If this thing possesses one or both of my parents, that’s my responsibility and I should help put it to bed.”  
“Yeah, okay. We’ll lead the way.” Abbie says.  
Agent Foster nods and retreats to her car.  
I sigh.  
“What’s wrong?” Abbie asks me.  
“Lilith and her games. We still have no clue as to what she’s up to and she somehow remains five steps ahead of us. It’s almost as if…”  
“As if what?”  
“As if she has an informant among us.”  
“What?”  
“Think about it, Lieutenant. First Orion’s escape and now the Kanaima." "There's no connection." "The hell there isn't. This is about distracting us from looking for the last three witches. Has the Mysterious Woman in the Woods even tried to contact your other half recently?”  
“No…”  
“And yet, Lilith still knows our every step. If she’s not getting her information from your other half, then who’s she getting it from? Lieutenant, we have a spy in our mist.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
As we enter the vault, we see Lara and Diana milling about, but no sign of Jake and Alex.  
“Where are Alex and Jake?” I ask.  
“We don’t know. The Vault was empty when we got here.” Lara says.  
“Who’s she?” Diana asks, referencing Foster.  
“Sophie Foster, FBI.” Foster answers.  
“What’s going on?” Crane asks, gesturing to all the books spread out on nearly every table.  
“Lara and I were attacked while looking for Lilith.” Diana answers.  
“By Lilith?” Crane asks.  
“No, by some weird hybrid creature. It was half lizard, half human.” Lara says.  
“The Kanaima came after you? Tell us exactly what happened.” Foster says.  
“The Kanaima?” Diana asks.  
“We tried a locater spell to find Lilith’s hideout. It led us to an abandoned eye clinic. We looked around but couldn’t find anything that would suggest she’d ever been there. We started to leave and that’s when this…Kanaima attacked us.” Lara says.  
“What is it?” Diana asks.  
“A creature of the Carib tribes. Its sole purpose is to kill those that’s done wrong to its host. Unless it has a master, in which they can command it to kill anyone they want.” I say.  
“And if Lilith sent the Kanaima after you, it won’t stop until you’re dead.” Crane says.  
“So we stop it first.” Diana says.  
“Easier said than done.” Foster says.  
“What do you mean?”  
“We don’t exactly know how to kill it. We talked to two people and they said that the Kanaima is said to be afraid of its own reelection—which doesn’t mean that would kill it—or…” Foster starts but trails off.  
“Or let the Kanaima kill its host with its own venom, as the host is effected by it when the Kanaima is not in control. But even if we did that, we still don’t know how to make the Kanaima relinquish control of the host.” I say.  
“What your connection to the case?” Lara asks Foster.  
Foster sighs. “There’s a possibility that one or both of my parents may be the Kanaima’s host. If that’s true, I feel obliged to help…kill the creature.”  
“We’ve been looking all morning and still haven’t found much on the creature. With our nerd squad working on their own thing, we need all the help can get.” Lara says.  
Foster nods and heads toward a computer. “Since your books have nothing, lets turn toward the internet.”  
As they start to do research on the computer, I busy myself with searching through the books. Crane wordlessly joins me. I try to concentrate on the task before me, but I can’t. I keep thinking about Crane’s words. He thinks there’s a spy at the Agency. How long till he finds out that spy is me? And he will find out. Crane’s persistent and he won’t let it go, not with the stakes so high. I have to tell him before he finds out. That’s the only way to lessen the blow. But first, I have to find out who Lilith has watching me.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Alex’s POV  
“You think this is really going to work?” Jake asks.  
“It was your idea.” I say.  
“I know, but we’ve been sitting here all morning. It’s just a little after noon and there’s been no movement from Sara Conway. David says there hasn’t been any movement from Don Smith either. Agents Cam and Stella say the same thing about Alexandra Young. Maybe this is a bust.” He says.  
“Please. Everyone knows the good things happen at night.” I joke. “Besides, right now is about watching their movements and routines. Stakeouts are boring but this isn’t a bust.”  
“You’re right.”  
There’s silence and then Jake speaks again.  
“So, what do you think about Abbie?” He asks.  
“She’s pretty cool. A little hard to trust, but she seems nice.”  
“Right. Like, how do we really know if that’s Abbie or if it's that other half version of her?”  
“Well, I guess we wouldn’t know, but I have to believe that Jenny and Crane would and that they would tell us if they had suspicions.”  
“Yeah, but…”  
“What?” I ask and look over at him.  
“I don’t know, it’s just…well…Abbie’s Jenny sister. There’s clearly loyalty and love there. And anyone with eyes can see that Crane’s in love with Abbie. I mean, that’s just Ichabbie waiting to happen.”  
“Icabbie?” I ask, with a laugh.  
“Yeah, Crane and Abbie’s name together. That’s their couple name.”  
I laugh out right. “Oh God, never say that in front of either of them.”  
Jake chuckles. “My point is they’re both connected to Abbie on a deep level. How can we trust that they’re looking at her with clear eyes?”  
I sigh. “I don’t know. But even if they’re not, we can still be on the lookout for suspicious behavior.”  
Jake starts to say more, but movement from Sara’s house cuts our conversation off. Sara leaves her house and gets in her car.  
“Alex, Jake, Don’s on the move.” David says through his radio.  
“Alexandra’s on the move.” Agent Cam says.  
“Here we go.” I say.  
“Okay, follow them but keep your distance.” Jake says as I start the car.  
“Text Jenny and tell her we have movement. Let’s make sure to keep her updated about our whereabouts.” I say.  
“Here’s hoping we’re not going into a trap.” Jake says as he texts Jenny.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
It’s well into the evening and we’re still looking on a way to kill the Kanaima.  
“I’m sorry Sophie, but I still don’t see a way that could save the host. I’ve searched the spell books and websites about the creature. There’s nothing.” Diana says.  
“There’s got to be a way. There’s always a loophole.” Foster says in frustration.  
“I’m sorry.” Crane says.  
“I finally found out what happened to my parents and now I have to kill them.”  
“What if we lure out the Kanaima.” Lara says.  
We all stare at her.  
“It’s after me and Diana, right. So what if we lure it out only for it to see you.”  
“What good is that going to do? The research said the Kanaima won’t hesitate to kill the host’s family members and friends.” Foster says.  
“Unless the host is strong enough to fight. How long has it been since your parents have seen you?”  
“Too long for them to remember me through the craze of the Kanaima. And even if it worked, it would still kill them through the venom.”  
“But if we got them medical help in time, we might be able to save them. It’s worth a shot.”  
Foster hesitates. “If you’re okay with being bait…”  
“Please it’s what we do.” Diana says.  
“Okay, yeah. It’s worth a shot.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
We wait until nightfall to head back to the abandoned clinic.  
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” I ask Foster.  
“Yeah. I have to know. Think about if it were Jenny or Crane.” She says.  
I nod. “I get it.”  
It doesn’t take long for the Kanaima to come out of hiding. Only it’s not just the one, now there are two.  
As they circle Diana and Lara, Crane and I draw they’re attention away by shooting at them. They screech at us and charge us. We run but the Kanaimas are much faster. One pushes me out of the way as the other reaches Crane.  
What the hell? Why did it push me out the way? I shoot at the one near Crane but all it does is screeches at me as the other one heads back to Diana and Lara. I get up and rush towards it. It tries to swipe me aside, but I shoot its tail.  
“Its not attacking you.” Diana says.  
“If Lilith needs me and Jenny, it makes sense that she would order her monsters not to hurt us.” I say.  
“Stop!” Foster cries out to the Kanaima that Crane’s holding back.  
The Kanaima looks towards Foster. It tilts its head and hisses at her.  
“Go stand behind Foster.” I tell Diana and Lara.  
They don’t hesitate. While they move, I stare down the Kanaima. It hisses at me, before backhanding me out of the way. I tumble on the ground and black spots blur the edge of my vision. I shake it off as best as I can and take another shot at it. Annoyed with me, I know have its full attention.  
“You know me.” I hear Foster say as I try to get the other Kanaima to her.  
“Look at me. You know me.”  
Both Kanaimas are still for a minute. Then they strike out. One tackles Foster and the other swipes us out the way with its tail.  
I look up to see the Kanaima leaning over Foster. Instead of going in for the kill though, it just stares at her. I see Foster mouth the word mom. I don’t know how she would know, but it seems to have an effect on the Kanaima. It leans back before crawling off her. Instead, the Kanaima rushes to the other one and tackles it away from Crane, Diana, and Lara. They engage in a hissing match before the Kanaima the held Foster down gains the upper hand on the other one. She pins it down.  
“What’s happening?” Diana asks as we make our way to where Foster stands.  
Foster just shakes her head slightly.  
Both Kanaimas look towards us, towards Foster. They then begin to screech and roll around on the ground. The screeching is so loud that we cover our ears. There’s a bright light and then silence and darkness.  
“Is everyone okay?” Crane asks.  
“We’re good.” Lara says, referencing her and Diana.  
“I’m fine.” I say.  
Foster doesn’t answer. Instead, she hesitantly approaches where the Kanaimas once were. In their place, are two unconscious, human bodies.  
“Foster, wait.” I say as I catch up with her.  
But Foster isn’t paying any attention. She kneels down by the people.  
“Are they…?” I ask.  
“There’s a pulse, but it’s faint.”  
Foster looks up at me with tears in her eyes.  
“Abbie, these are my parents.” She says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Are they going to be okay?” I ask Foster as we stand in the hospital hallway.  
She nods. “We got them here just in time. Thank you Mills.”  
“What are you thanking me for? It was Lara’s idea.”  
“I know and I intend to thank her too. But you helped with it and you didn’t shoot to kill. I’m sure having a six-foot lizard human hybrid coming at you must have been scary. So, thank you for distracting and not killing.”  
I give her a smile. “I’m glad you got your parents back. What are you going to do now?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“They’ve lived in the wild for years. How are you going to handle that?”  
Foster sighs. “Gently. Right now, I’m going to sit with them and see if they remember anything.”  
I nod. “We’re gonna go. Call if you need anything.”  
She nods. “Maybe we can get a drink sometime. It would be nice to see Jenny again.”  
“Definitely. Oh, we’re throwing Crane a party tonight, if you want to swing by later after you’ve had time with your parents.”  
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.”  
“Is Agent Foster okay?” Crane asks when I find him by the coffee area.  
“Yeah, and so are her parents. She’s gonna stay here with them tonight. Ready to go?”  
“Yes. We should head back to the Vault. We need to go over our agent’s profiles to see who the spy might be.”  
“I know it’s important and we should definitely give it our attention…tomorrow.” I say.  
Crane starts to argue but I cut him off.  
“I’m tired Crane. I’ve been getting tossed around for most of the night. Let’s go home and rest and we can start fresh tomorrow. Besides, we still haven’t had your birthday dinner and I’m thinking takeout.”  
Crane sighs. “You’re right. Let’s go home.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I don’t understand why we couldn’t pick something up on the way home.” Crane says as we exit the elevator and step into the apartment.  
“Because.” I say.  
“Because what?”  
The lights switch on and the team yells out surprise.  
“Ah…you said it was going to be me and you.” Crane says, smiling.  
“Of course the team wanted to celebrate in some way.” I say.  
“Captain, nice to see you here, but where’s your family?” Crane asks Irving.  
“Macy and Cynthia couldn’t make it but I had to drop by. 311 years old. That’s a milestone.” Irving says, chuckling.  
“Unfortunately, the cake couldn’t fit that many candles.” Diana says as she brings out the cake.  
“Oh, geez.” Crane laughs, looking at the large side of the cake.  
“No singing.” He says.  
“Oh, come on.” Jake says.  
“No singing.”  
“Make a wish Crane.” Alex says.  
Crane blows out the candle.  
“So, what you’d wish for?” Jenny asks.  
“Nothing. I have everything I would wish for.” Crane says with a glance to me.  
I smile at him.  
“Time for presents.” Alex says.  
“Presents, oh no.” Crane says, with a smile on his face.  
After opening presents from Jake and Alex, Molly, Lara, and Diana, and Irving, the team mingles around.  
“Abbie.” Diana says, coming over to me with her young daughter.  
“I think it’s time you two finally meet. This is Molly. Molly, this is Abbie. She’s—”  
“The Witness. I can sense it.” Molly finishes.  
“Hi.” I say.  
“It’s weird but nice to meet you. I often wondered what you’d be like.”  
“Well Molly, I look forward to getting to know you too.” I say.  
She smiles then her phone buzzes. “Oh, that’s Talia. I’m gonna say bye to Crane then head down to meet her. See you in two days.” Molly says to Diana.  
“Have fun but remember to keep your phone on.”  
“I know, I know, monsters could attack me at any moment.” Molly says sarcastically. “Nice to meet you Abbie.” She says before heading towards Crane.  
“She’s sweet.” I say.  
“To you. Trust me, she’s definitely in that rebellious teenage stage. But I want her to have as much normalcy in her youth as she can.”  
“I get it. By the time I was her age, my youth was over and I had no friends. My own sister and I were starting to fall apart. Trust me, you’re doing great.”  
She smiles.  
I notice Jenny, Alex, and Jake in, what appears to be, a deep conversation. “I’m gonna go talk to Jenny.”  
“Hey sis.” Jenny greets me.  
“Hey. What were you, Alex, and Jake talking about so seriously? It’s supposed to be a party.” I say.  
“They were briefing me on their findings today. I sent them to follow a few of our newly turned witches.”  
“And did they see anything of value?”  
“Three of them met up at a coffee shop, but other than a few pictures of them together, no. They couldn’t hear what they were talking about, so they’re going to go back out later with audio equipment.”  
“What about you? Did you find the grimoire or where it might be?”  
“I’ve been through just about all of our family records and they all point to Grace being the last one with the grimoire. After going through her belongs, though, I’ve still yet to find it. Grace took its contents to her grave. Alex suggested doing a spell to conjure her, but I’m a bit scared to. What if I conjure the wrong spirit?”  
“I get it.”  
“But anyway, let’s focus on that later. Tonight, let’s relax. We deserve it after the month we’ve had. Hell, after the day we've had.” Jenny says.  
“Amen.” I say and we clink beer bottles.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
Master Jake and Ms. Alex are the first to head out, followed by Agent Thomas, then Captain Irving, and lastly Ms. Jenny.  
Abbie and I begin to clean up.  
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” I say when we’re finished.  
“Hey, I was just the distraction. The team is the one who planned and set up.”  
“Still. Just…thank you.”  
Abbie kisses my cheek. “Happy birthday Crane. Are you tired?”  
“Why, did you have something else planned?”  
“Well, I did have one thing, if you weren’t too tired.” She says and leads me to the dining table.  
“Lieutenant…”  
“It’s long overdue, don’t you think?”  
I smile down at the chess bored with the pieces already in place.  
“Most definitely. But, there’s one thing missing.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Beer.” I say.  
“Okay, I’ll share one last beer with you.”  
“I’ll be right back.”  
Abbie laughs. “I’ll be waiting.”  
As I grab two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, my phone starts to ring.  
“Hello?”  
“The Mills sisters will soon be ours.” A male voice hisses on the other end.  
My blood freezes. “Who is this?”  
“We have plans for them. They will soon belong to us.”  
“Come near either of them and you will face my wrath.”  
The line clicks. What the hell was that?  
“Crane?”  
I look up at Abbie.  
“What’s wrong?” She asks.  
“Nothing.” I lie. I don’t want to scare her when I don’t even know what that was.  
“Really? Cause your face says otherwise.”  
“I’m fine.”  
“You sure?”  
“Positive. Are you sure you’re ready to get your butt kicked in a game of chess?” I joke, changing the subject.  
“What? Please, we both know I’m better. I believe I’ve beaten you in a number of games.”  
“Sure. Or perhaps I went easy on you.”  
“Easy on me? Oh, you’re gonna pay for that.”  
“Sure.”  
“Well, c’mon then.” Abbie says as she turns to go back to the dining room.  
“On my way.”  
I take a minute to compose myself. I don’t know who that was, but of course, it was an emissary of Lilith. It wasn’t Orion though. That wasn’t his voice. Nor was it Henry’s. Then who was it? I shake it off as I head back to the dining table.  
Abbie smiles up at me and I put on a smile for her. Now more than ever, I must find out who Lilith’s mole is at the Agency. I have to find out who’s trying to hurt them. Abbie and Ms. Jenny are family to me and anyone who attempts to hurt them…well, my God have mercy on them because I won’t.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“I just got off the phone with our informant. The Witnesses are looking for our base, the Mills family grimoire, and the remaining three witches.” Katrina says to Lilith.  
“And the asset? Did he deliver the message?” Lilith asks, as Henry finishes transferring the Kanaima's energy to her.  
“He’s made the call to Ichabod. He delivered Ichabod's best birthday gift of the night.” Katrina says with a smirk.  
“Good. Begin the ritual to summon the next creature.”  
“Pardon me Mistress, but what are we going to do about the Witnesses and they’re followers?” Henry asks.  
“Well, we let them do the work for us. As a matter of fact, send a message to Abigail. Tell her she’s to not only deliver the three witches when they find them, but to also deliver her family grimoire. To refuse is instant insanity for Crane and Jenny.”  
“What creature would you like to raise next, Mistress?” Katrina asks.  
“Is there a holiday coming up?” Lilith asks.  
“Halloween is in two months.” Henry answers.  
Lilith smiles. “I think it’s time we threw Sleep Hollow a true Monster’s Ball.”  
End of Episode Four


	5. Episode Five: To Catch A Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team, now aware that there is a spy in the Agency begins the hunt for the traitor. Abbie's other side begins her torment on Abbie again and the team is given an ultimatum after Lilith goes after one of their own. A familiar face joins the fight against evil. Abbie and Crane have a fight.

Episode 5: To Catch A Spy

“It’s been nearly two months now, and we still haven’t found the remaining three witches.” Orion says.  
“Clearly we need to change tactics. Any suggestions?” Lilith says.   
“I think we should gather up the witches we do have. Even with the circle not yet complete, surely their combined powers are strong enough to locate the remaining three.” Orion says.  
“If the coven meets this soon with the Witnesses watching, we will no longer have one. They should continue to meeting as they are now: in groups of three at different times. Mistress, allow myself and my mother to continue working on a spell.” Henry says.  
“That’s just going to waste more time that Lilith doesn’t have.” Orion shoots back.  
“It’s not that I doubt your and Katrina’s abilities, but I can’t wait on that anymore. The Kanaimas’ essences won’t last much longer and your powers should be reserved for the upcoming ball. Have then invitations been sent out for that yet?”  
“Yes, we need only to send them to the Witnesses.” Orion says.  
“Get on that as soon as possible.”  
Headless stomps his foot then hands over a piece of paper to Lilith.  
“Oh, Abraham, we must get you your head back. But I like your suggestion. It will provoke them into finding the remaining three members of our coven.” Lilith says. “So, which one of the members from Team Witness could we kidnap that would make them speed up their search?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“Abbie…” She calls out as I’m running.   
I ignore her.   
“I told you, you can’t keep me locked in here forever…” She hisses.  
I keep running.   
I’m back in my hell lope.   
“How long can you hold out Abbie, before I crumble your sanity?” The Other Abbie says.  
I shake away that memory and keep running, but another memory pops up.  
“I will revel at your insanity. Then I will take control. And I will make you watch as I kill those you love, over and over again.”   
It’s no use, I think as I take a break. I can’t outrun her any more than I can outrun the memories of last night’s dream. The Other Abbie is close to breaking loose.   
“Hello Abbie.” I hear from behind me.  
I jump and turn around.  
“Katrina. What are you doing here?” I say and look around for any familiar faces, but I don’t see anyone from the Agency nor do I see anyone paying us any mind.  
“I’m here with a message for you.” She replies.  
“Oh really? And here I thought you just missed me.” I say dryly.   
Katrina pays me no mind. “I hear you and your team have been pretty busy over these past months.”  
“I don’t know what you mean.” I say.  
Katrina smirks. “I know you’re looking for the remaining three witches. I also know you’re looking for your family grimoire. Lilith orders you to bring both the witches and the grimoire to her when you find them.”  
“Not a chance in hell.”  
“Abbie, you know the consequences for disobeying her. Are you really willing to risk both Jennifer and Ichabod’s sanities?”  
I don’t answer.  
“I didn’t think so. Oh, and Abbie, do remember that if you attempt to alert your team in some way, Lilith will know and follow through on her threats. Don’t forget that we have eyes everywhere.”   
“Anyone that’s expendable?” I ask.  
Katrina raises an eyebrow at me.  
I sigh. “Crane’s getting suspicious. He believes there’s a spy in the Agency and I have to throw suspicion off of me. So, anyone I can offer up to him instead?”  
Katrina smirks and shakes her head. “You know I can’t give you that, but I’m sure you’ll figure something out. Have a good Abbie.”  
With that, Katrina vanishes as quickly as she showed up. I sigh and kick a nearby tree in frustration. Damn Katrina. And Damn Lilith too. She can’t keep toying with me like this. I refuse to continue being a piece on her chess board. I’ve got to find out who her mole is and when I do, I’m going to put a bullet in their head.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Ah, good morning Lieutenant. How was your run?” I greet Abbie as she steps out of the elevator.  
“It was good. What’s all this?” She replies, referencing to the large breakfast I’ve cooked.   
“Just a little breakfast.” I reply.  
“Crane, not that I’m not enjoying the extravagant breakfasts and dinners, but you really don’t have to keep doing this.” Abbie says.  
“It’s my pleasure.”  
“You say that now, but when I’m spoiled and expecting it…”  
“Lieutenant, you deserve to be treated like a queen and I intend to spoil you rotten. Doing this is just a measure of how much I missed you.” I tell her.   
Abbie smiles and shakes her head as she sits at the bar.   
“Crane?” She says, as I put a plate of food in front of her.  
“Yes?”  
“Can I ask you something?”  
“Of course, anything.”  
“Do you still think about Katrina?”  
Caught off guard, it takes me a minute to answer. “Why would you ask me that?”  
Abbie shrugs. “I guess I was just thinking about Henry being back and how he’s probably working with Lilith. Do you every think about that?”  
I sigh. “At times, I suppose it saddens me to think about my broken family. There are times where I’ll visit Katrina’s grave.”  
“You do?” Abbie asks.   
I sigh again. “Not because I miss her in that way, but…well…there’s history there. I mourn for her and Henry because it hurts me thinking about the dark path they chose to go down. But she hasn’t been at the forefront of my mind for some time now. You have.”  
“Me?”  
“Well, what’s a sidekick without his hero?”  
Abbie snorts.  
“Honestly Lieutenant, over the past three years, all I’ve thought about was you. In my darkest days, you were the one to keep me going.” I say and push a lock of her curly hair behind her ear.   
Abbie clears her throat and looks down.   
“Can I ask you a question now?” I ask her.  
“Yeah.”  
“What do you dream about at night?” I ask.  
Abbie looks up at me. “What?”  
“I hear you whimpering most nights. When I check in on you, you’ve gone quiet but your covers are twisted and you’re frowning. What plagues you?”  
“It’s nothing.” Abbie says.  
“Lieutenant—”  
“I’m fine. Trust me, it’s not that big a deal.”  
I start to say more, but an alarm goes off on Abbie’s phone.  
“Ah, I’m gonna be late for my therapy session. I should get ready.”  
With that, Abbie heads to the bathroom. I sigh. Abbie’s clearly hiding something. I don’t wish to pry but I don’t want to see her in pain either. I have to find out. As much as I hate it, Abbie’s not off the list of agents that could be a spy for Lilith. Her secrets could very well be harmful to the team. If she won’t confided in me, I’ll have to find out on my own.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jenny’s POV  
Lara and I are sitting on the floor in the middle of the Vault with a Ouija board in between us. That’s right. After trying nearly every spirit calling spell in the book, we’ve resorted to using a Ouija board. After sitting in silence for few minutes after attempting to contact Grace, I give up.   
“Okay, I’ve had it.” I say as I get up.  
“Jen—” Lara starts, but I cut her off.  
“Nope. Lara I’ve had it. If Grace can hear us, she clearly doesn’t want to communicate. I’m at my wit’s end.”   
Before Lara can say more, Agent Cals enters the Vault.  
“Cals, what are you doing here?” Diana asks her.  
“These were delivered to the Archives this morning. I rushed right over to give them to you.” Monica says and hands over the flyers she’s caring.  
“Who delivered them?” Jake asks.  
“I don’t know. I got there this morning, and there they were.”   
I look down at the flyer.   
“’Sleepy Hollow Monster’s Ball. Halloween Night at Fredricks Manor. No costume, no entry.’ Lilith’s throwing a ball; what the hell is this?” I say.  
“’Monster’s Ball’? Like—” Alex asks.   
“Like there are going to be actual monsters there mixed in with unknowing civilians.” Diana says.  
“Holy hell.” Jake says.  
Holy hell is right.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“How have you been Abbie?” Dr. Kelly asks.  
“Same as last week, I suppose.” I retort.   
“Abbie, we’ve been meeting for nearly two months now, and haven’t made any real progress. You keep these kinds of vague answers up, and I’m going to have to report back Madame President the nature of our meetings.”   
“Look, I just…don’t know what to talk about.”  
Before every session I have it in my mind that it’s going to be the day that I open up and tell Dr. Kelly about my traumas, but every time I get to the office, something always stops me and I chicken out. Today is no exception.   
“I get that it can be hard to open up to a stranger, but I shouldn’t be that much of a stranger anymore. C’mon Abbie; tell me something. We can talk about your feelings, your work, whatever, but we should talk about something.” Dr. Kelly says.  
I sigh. “I’m…I’m thinking about asking one of my co-workers out to dinner.” I say.   
“Good. That’s good. I thought you said you weren’t interested in dating, but that’s progress.”  
“Oh, I’m not…interested in dating. I’m going to ask him out to get information on him.”  
Dr. Kelly gives me a strange look. I actually chuckle at it.  
“We could possibly have a…rat…in our Agency. Everyone not in the inner circle is a suspect. This agent has already shown interest in me, so I figured I’d use that to my advantage.”  
“Calculating…but okay.”  
“The thing is…I don’t know how Crane will take to the idea.” I say.  
“Why would he have a problem with it?”  
“Um…well…Crane has always been a bit…wary of those that I go out with and since this agent is a suspect, I highly doubt he’ll be okay with it.”  
“Sure, but it’s not like you need his permission.” Dr. Kelly reasons.  
“No, I don’t, but…” I trail off.  
“But what?”  
“I told you that Crane and I have a platonic relationship.”  
“Yes, you were very adamant about it.”  
“Well…Crane’s feelings may not be as platonic as I first suggested.”  
Dr. Kelly lifts an eyebrow. “And how does that make you feel?”  
“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.”  
“Abbie…”  
“I haven’t. So many other things have been going on and I just haven’t had time to give his or my own feelings towards the matter attention.”  
“Okay. But, communication is the key. You have to make time to talk about these kinds of things, otherwise you’re just leading him on.”  
“I am not. I don’t want to screw up a friendship.” I say defensively.   
“Maybe not intentionally, but to acknowledge his feelings and not address them, as well as your own, it seems a little like a lead on, or rather, indecisive. You need to examine your feelings and see if you share them or if you’d rather remain friends. As for not wanting to “screw up a friendship”, well, most romantic relationships start out as strong friendships. Ultimately, you need to be honest with yourself and with Crane. Otherwise, these feelings of conflict you have with going out with someone else will always bother you when try to do so, and you’ll never truly be able to put yourself first.”  
I sigh. I kinda feel attacked. She did not have to read me like.   
“Now, what other things do you have on your mind?”  
“Huh?”  
“You said a lot of other things have been going on and that’s why you haven’t had the time to examine your feelings. What other things?”  
Well, I made a deal with a demoness to help bring her back to Earth and restore her powers, all the while lying to my team and feeling shitty about it.  
“Uh…I’m kinda on a deadline and I guess it’s just stressing me out.” I say instead.  
“What kind of deadline?”  
“…I have to work with someone I don’t really like, but that’s the job I signed up for and now the person is really getting on my nerves.”  
“You have to set boundaries. Let this person know what you will and will not accept.” Dr. Kelly says.  
I give a snort. “Yeah, I tried that and it didn’t go over so well.”  
“This person that you’re working with, do you need them more than they need you?”  
“The opposite actually.”  
“Then you set your boundaries and make them abide by them. You tell people how to treat you. It’s just a matter of how much force you put behind it.”  
The timer goes off before Dr. Kelly can say more.   
“This was good progress Abbie. I look forward to seeing you next week.”  
“Yeah, thanks.” I say.  
Dr. Kelly says to set boundaries and make them abide by them. How the hell can I make a powerful demoness and a vengeful witch abide by my boundaries when they have made it very clear that Lilith will hurt my family if I don’t do what she says? Where can I hit them to make them take me seriously?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“A Monster’s Ball.” Crane repeats after Diana.  
As soon as we got to the Vaults, the team informed us about the flyers Agent Cals dropped off.   
“Yeah, held at Fredricks Manor.” Jenny adds.   
“Well, if we didn’t know Henry was working with Lilith, we do now.” Crane retorts.   
“So what do we do?” Jake asks.  
“Well we obviously have to go.” I say.   
Crane just sighs. “Where are we on locating the remaining three witches?”  
“Nowhere. Our only lead is that the turned witches meet like clockwork at a coffee shop, but they discuss mundane things” Alex says.  
“And our search to catch a spy?” I ask.  
“So far, a bust. Every agent we’ve looked at and questioned has come back clean.” Diana says.  
“And the grimoire?” I ask Jenny.   
“Nothing. Grace won’t answer and I’m all out of ideas.”  
I sigh. I need that grimoire.   
“So, we’re at a dead end on all fronts.” I say.   
“Well…” Lara starts.   
“Well what?” Crane asks.  
“We could always attempt the Awakening Spell.”  
“No.” Crane says.   
“I’ve been doing a lot of research on it; I think I have a way to narrow it down to just Jenny and Abbie.”  
“It’s not an option.” Crane shoots back.  
“It’s a last resort and we’re outta options.” Lara says.  
“Stop.” Jenny says. “We are right here.”  
“I think we should do it.” I say.   
“Lieutenant—”  
Diana’s phone dings, cutting off Crane’s response. Diana gasps and nearly drops her phone.  
“What is it?” Lara asks.  
Diana holds out her phone for us to see. Headless has Molly bound to a chair.  
“What number is from; we can trace it.” Alex asks.  
“It’s blocked”   
Diana’s phone rings and she answers it hesitantly.  
“Hello?”   
Diana then sets the phone on the table and puts it on speakerphone.   
“Hello Witnesses.” Henry’s voice says from the other end.  
“Henry? What have you done?” Crane says.  
“We want the remaining three witches and the Mills family grimoire. We know you are looking for both. You will have Abigail deliver both to use. In exchange we will let the girl go. You have until midnight on Halloween to deliver. But do hurry. Molly is such a sweet girl. It would be a shame if anything happened to her.”   
With that, Henry hangs up.   
“Halloween, that’s three days from now.” Diana says.  
“We have to get her back.” Lara says.  
“The best way to do that is to find the remaining witches.” Jake says.   
“How? We have yet to find them and now we have three days or Molly’s…” Diana snaps back, but trials off towards the end.  
She doesn’t need to finish.   
“Our best course of action is to figure out who the spy is.” Crane says.   
“We need to find the grimoire.” Jenny says.   
How lost you team is, hisses the other Abbie as she continues to try and break free.  
I put my hands to my head and groan. She’s so close to breaking free.   
“Lieutenant?”   
I open my eyes to see everyone staring at me.   
“Are you okay?”  
I lower my hands. “I’m fine. We should split. Alex and Jake, you continue to work on the witches. Follow them. Listen in on them. They have to be talking in some kind of code. Lara, Jenny, and Diana, continue working on locating the grimoire. Crane and I will continue searching for our spy.”  
“We should start by getting the research at my trailer.” Jenny says and pulls Lara and Diana along.   
Alex and Jake grab their listening equipment and cameras and head out as well, leaving me and Crane alone in the Vaults.   
“Let’s get started.” Crane says.  
File after file, Crane and I search through our agents. And agent after agent, we find no spy.   
“I guess it’s a good thing that most of our agents are clean.” Crane says.   
“How many more do we have?” I ask.  
“About ten here at the Vault. Agents Tanner, Miles, Spelling, Hughes, Taylor, Hills, Clarks, Denway, Lewis, and Espinosa. But we still have the Archives back in Sleepy Hollow to review.”  
“About Espinosa…” I start.  
"Yes?"  
“Well, so far we’ve been slightly trying to sniff out the spy. Asking questions here and there to keep from arousing suspicions.”   
“Yes…”  
“Well, Espinosa asked me out for coffee, and I think I’m gonna make it a dinner date instead to interrogate him.”  
“You want to go on a date the same day Miss Molly goes missing? Why…why would you do that? We could simply treat him the same as we have other agents.”  
“I think it’ll be a good idea to see how he acts without the pressures of the office around him…or you for that matter. And it’s not a date date; it’s an interrogation outside of the office.”  
“Me? Why would it matter that I’m here?”  
“Crane, I’ve notice how you are every time David tries to talk to me.”  
“David? Lieutenant, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. What if he is the spy? You’ll be alone with him.”  
“Yes, I can handle myself. We’ve been cautious with all the other agents. I’ll let him take me out and see what, if anything, he revels.”   
“No, I don’t like it.”  
“Well, I don’t need your permission, Crane. I’m telling you so you know what’s up.”  
“Fine.” Crane replies.  
“Fine.” I snap back.  
“Fine.” Crane shoots back.   
The Vault is filled with awkward silence.   
Nice going…hisses the Other version.  
I sigh inwardly. That didn’t go great. Not that I thought it would. I feel guilty as I shoot a text to David, asking him out to dinner. David shoots back an enthusiastic yes and tells me he’ll pick me up around 7:00, to which I shoot back that we can leave the Agency around 7:00.   
Don’t get me wrong, Crane has no right to tell me that I can’t do something and it definitely pissed me off. But I know that his strong reaction also comes from his feelings and I feel shitty for ignoring them right now.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
A date. Abbie wants to go on a date with Agent Espinosa, a possible spy placed in our Agency by Lilith. And yet, that’s not the part that’s bugging me the most. Abbie going out with someone is my issue. I stare at her, searching through agents’ files. How can she not know how I feel about her? Does her willingness to go out with someone mean she doesn’t share my feelings? I clench my jaw and stare down at the files in front of me. Abbie’s always guarded her feelings but I didn’t need her to say that oh so powerful ‘L’ word to know there were feelings there. Or so I thought. Apparently, I thought wrong. If Abbie felt a fraction of what I felt for her, for me, she would never have suggested a date with Espinosa. The truth hits hard but I clench my jaw again and continue working, trying to ignore the pain.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
Jenny, Lara, and Diana come back with boxes of books and promptly get to work looking for the grimoire. Crane and I continue to look through the agents’ files quietly. Looking up at him, I see his jaw clench several times, but he doesn’t say anything more about our discussion. Discussion—if you could call it that. Jenny suddenly grabs her phone and heads towards the doors.  
“Where are you going?” I ask.  
“Out. I need to clear my head.” She says and heads out without further comment.  
“I’m going to go check on her.” I say.   
Crane gives a nod but says nothing. I try to ignore how his reaction affects me.   
I find Jenny in her car. I knock on the window. Jenny looks up at me and I get into the car.  
“What’s wrong?” I ask her.  
Jenny sighs. “I’m tired Abbie. I’m so tired. I have looked through every book, researched every artifact, and tired multiple spells and yet, Grace still has yet to appear. I know we need it, now more than ever with Molly missing, but I don’t think we’re going to find the grimoire.”  
“We are. We’re just missing something.” We have to find the damn thing; it could be the key to getting Lilith off my back.  
“But missing what?”  
“I don’t know; maybe Grace isn’t dead.” I joke.  
Jenny sits up straight and looks at me.  
“What?” I ask.  
“That’s it.” Jenny says.  
“What’s it?”  
“Grace isn’t dead. That’s why she hasn’t responded to the resurrection spells.”   
“Jen, when’s the last time you slept?” I ask.  
“Abbie, I’m serious.”  
“So am I. Except when I said Grace was alive; then I was joking. Grace died in a fire.”  
“How sure are we of that? Grace was a powerful witch. You’re telling me she couldn’t have done a spell to portal herself outta there?”  
“That’s a long shot, Jen.” I say.  
“Think about it; it makes sense. Who was that stature of in the gorgon’s lair? Maybe it was her.”  
“That stature said M. Dixon. Not Grace.”   
“Still, that doesn’t mean Grace couldn’t be out there somewhere. If Crane can past the test of time, so can she.”  
“You’re reaching Jenny.” I tell her gently. “Listen, why don’t you go home and rest. Diana and Lara can continue searching.”  
“I’m fine Abbie.”  
“But you’re not. Go home; rest and come back later.”  
“Abbie—”  
“Jen, we need everyone at their best if we’re going to find Molly in time and right now, you’re not at your best. Go home.” I tell her sternly.   
“Fine.” Jenny says reluctantly.   
“I’ll check on you later.” I tell her as I get out of the car.  
“Yeah, okay.” She says.  
As I watch Jenny drive off, concern threatens to overtake me. She’s stressing over the grimoire and it makes me feel guilty. She wouldn’t have to if we didn’t need the spell our ancestors used to defeat Lilith, and we wouldn’t have to do that if I hadn’t taken her deal. It always boils down to Lilith and the deal I made with her. I have to take her out, sooner rather than later. For my sake and my family’s’.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jenny’s POV  
Abbie thinks I’ve gone crazy. Hell, maybe I have. Only a crazy person would be lurking where a gorgon once resided. But I have to see the stature for myself. Grace isn’t communicating through the channels a spirit might, so she has to be among the living. Or something is restricting her from communicating. I have to know.   
I’m sorely disappointment when I find that Abbie is right and the ancestor stuck here is indeed M Dixon. I let out a sigh. Damn it, Grace, if this isn’t you, where are you?  
I start to leave, but stop when I feel a presence behind me. I straighten my back then strike out. I push the person against the wall as my arm presses against their throat. I pull the person’s hood off their head only to come face to face with…  
“Grace?”  
“Hello Jennifer. Shall you remove your arm from my throat or do I have to do it for you?”  
“What is this?” I ask, but don’t move.   
Grace grips my wrist and twists it to the point of pain. I wince and step back from her.   
“You question if I’m alive and are now surprised that you’re right?”  
“How? How do I know this isn’t some trick?”  
“Well, for one, I have this, which is what you’ve been looking for, correct?” Grace says and revels a thick, black, ominous looking book.  
“What is that?” I ask.   
“The Dixon family grimoire.”   
I stare at her.   
“Yes, we have a lot to talk about, but perhaps let’s do it outside of this place.”  
Hesitantly I nod and lead her outside to my car. Once in, I pounce.   
“Talk. How is it possible? How are you here? How long have you been watching me?”  
“Jennifer, breath.” Grace says.  
“No games. How are you here?”  
“Firstly, I haven’t been watching you.”  
“Then how did you know that I questioned if you were alive?”  
“Well, why else would you be in that place, searching for the Dixon that’s stuck there?”  
“What were you doing there?” I ask.  
“I often visit M. I’m convinced that our grimoire will have a spell to undo what has been done to her.”  
“How are you here in the present? According to our record books, you died in a fire with your husband.”  
“I was able to escape the fire Jeremy set. As the church became engulfed in flames, I created a portal for us to go through. Only, as we were getting ready to jump through it, a beam came down and separated me from Jeremy and Joseph. They were trapped on one side with fire raging behind them, and I feel through the portal.”  
“So why do people think you died in the fire?” I ask.  
“It was strange enough when Jeremy was discovered with no injures, but how strange would it have been to discover that I made it out of a building where all exits were cut off. Besides, there were many evil forces working against my cause and it was best to believe I had perished in the fire.”   
“So how’d you come to be in this time?”  
“It’s the strangest thing. Three years ago, I was preparing to perform a spell in my kitchen when this weird feeling hit me out of nowhere. I fainted and when I came to, I was in the woods. I stumbled to town, only everything was different. People weren’t using horses and carriages to get around. Buildings that I didn’t recognize stood where stables once did. Everything was different. After hours of walking around, I made my way to a library. I grabbed the first history book I saw and absorbed all the knowledge from it. Then I did it again with another history book until I was caught up.”  
“Talk about an information overload.” I say.  
Grace chuckles.   
“So, you have no idea how you got here?”  
“Well, after my little…history lesson, I began to get curious about what happened to my bloodline and that of the witnesses after me. That’s when I learned of what happened to Abigail and her unnatural cause of death.”  
“Wait, you’ve been around for three years and you’re just now making contact?” I say more than ask.   
“I’ve always kept tabs on you all. You never really needed me.”  
“Then why come now?”  
“Because Abigail’s in danger. You all are. Trust me, you need my help now, more than ever.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Molly’s POV  
I’m blindfolded and tied to a chair, but I can hear their voices near me. Unfortunately, the conversation is muffled and I can’t hear what is being said. Instead of trying to strain to hear, I focus on the rope binding my hands. I try my best to work my hands free, but the rope won’t budge.   
“The rope has magical properties. You won’t be able to break it.” A female voice says from behind me. .  
“What do you want from me?” I ask.  
“Nothing. This is merely motivation to encourage your mother and her friends to find the last of our little coven.”  
“Even if they do find them, they’re not just gonna hand them over to you.” I tell her.  
“You think so? I think Ichabod and Abbie would do anything to see a member of their team safely returned. If not, we could always up the ante. Trust me Molly, there are many things worse than death.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jake’s POV  
“What are they saying now?” I ask Alex.  
“They’re talking about numbers. Sounds like bank accounts.”  
“Bank accounts?”  
“Maybe not; they’re too long to be back accounts.”  
“Repeat them.” I tell her.  
As Alex repeats what she hears, I jot them down.  
As I’m staring at what I wrote down, it clicks what the numbers mean.  
“They’re not back accounts they’re—”  
“Longitude and latitude.” I finish for her.  
“They’re talking about where they’re going to raise Lilith.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
We’ve been going through files all day and still haven’t found anything that would point to a rat. Agent Thomas and Miss Lara are researching through their family history but still haven’t come across the grimoire. An alarm on Abbie’s phone goes off.  
“A reminder for your date?” I ask in a cold voice.   
Abbie narrows her eyes at me. “I’m going to get my things. I’ll be back.” She says.  
As she steps away to grab her things, Agent Espinosa enters the Vault.   
“Hey Lara, Diana.” He greets them.  
They barely acknowledge him for searching through their books.   
“Hello Mr. Crane.”   
“Agent Espinosa.” I greet him coldly.   
“Is Abbie here? She told me that we’d meet here.”   
“She went to grab a few things.” I say.  
“Oh. Well, I’ll wait.” Agent Espinosa says and sits at one of the tables.  
I try to focus on my work but I can’t. His very presence aggravates me. An idea forms in my head. Maybe I can scare him into a confession and then Abbie won’t go through with this date.  
“Agent Espinosa.”  
“Yes sir?”  
“What are your intentions with Lieutenant Mills?”  
“Lieutenant?” He asks.  
“Agent Mills. What are your intentions towards her?”  
“My intentions?” He asks with a small frown on his face.  
“Yes. The Lieutenant is very important to me, and I wouldn’t want to see her upset.” I reply.  
“Yeah, somehow, I just don’t see that being your business.” Agent Espinosa shoots back.   
“But it is.”  
“And why’s that?”  
“The Lieutenant is my business, and if you hurt her, well your experience at the Agency won’t be a very pleasant one.” I tell him.  
“Okay, I get it.”  
“Do you?”   
“Yeah. Asking about my intentions, threatening my job, I get it. You like Abbie and you feel threatened that she’s going out with me. And I get why you would be; Abbie chose to go out with me and chose to ignore your feelings. You’re hurt.”  
“Only lesser men have petty feelings like jealously. I’m purely looking out for a friend. But know this: Abbie may leave with you, but she calls my place home. And she always comes home.”  
Agent Espinosa smirks at me.  
“Hey, are you ready?” Abbie asks him as she reenters the Vault.  
“Yeah.”  
Abbie heads out of the Vault, with Espinosa on her heels.  
“Nice chatting with you Agent Crane.” He throws over his shoulder with a smirk.   
I clench my jaw as I watch them leave.  
“I don’t know if you were trying to rattle him, but he definitely got you more rattled.” Miss Lara says.  
“You better hope Abbie didn’t hear how caveman you just went.” Agent Thomas adds, not looking up from her research.  
Though I am a bit embarrassed that I let him get the better of me, I’m also worried. My suspicions have now been heightened ten-fold as I watched him leave with Abbie with that smirk on his face. My gut is telling me that he’s hiding something.   
“Miss Lara, I want you to take a break from looking for the grimoire.”  
“I can’t stop. It may help us find—”  
“I’ll continue your search with Agent Thomas’s help. I want you to do some digging for me.”  
“On who?”  
“Find everything you can on David Espinosa.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“So how’d you come to work at the Agency?” I ask David over our Italian dishes.   
“Well, I was already working for the government. My boss told me that she recommended me for a position higher up and I took it.”  
“Eager to serve your country?” I ask, as I take a bite of my food.  
Mm, Crane makes this dish so much better, I think.   
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” David says with a smile.  
“So who were you with before the Agency?”  
“Homeland Security.” He replies.  
I make a mental note to check that out.  
“You weren’t at all weirded out about the nature of our work?”  
“Not in the slightest. I’ve seen weirder.”  
“What does that mean?”  
“Well…”  
“Ah, come on, you have to tell me now. My curiosity is peeked.”   
“When I was younger, I saw one of my friends murdered. The thing…sucked his soul clean out of him. He was nothing but skin and bones when it was done with him.”  
“I’m sorry.” I say.   
David shrugs and tries to shake off the memory. “So what about you?”  
“What about me?” I ask.  
“How did you get into this business?”  
“One might say I was born into it.” I reply vaguely.   
“I gave you my backstory, surely you can give me more than that.” David prods.   
“That’s the story. I was born into this life. I encountered evil at a young age, like you, and though I tried to fight it, I couldn’t stay away from the fight.”  
“I hear you. So…what’s your deal with Crane, if you don’t mind me asking.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, he was very protective when I came into the Vault.”  
“That’s just how Crane is.”  
“Yeah, but it was borderline territorial. ‘Abbie may leave with you but she calls my place home. And she always comes home’. It was kind of weird. Honestly, I almost left before you came back. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to get to know you, but I also want to keep my job. He all but threatened to fire me for going out with you.”   
I nearly choke on my drink. “He did what?”  
David notices the look on my face. “Oh geez, I didn’t mean to upset you. I ‘m sorry.” He says and lays his hand on top of mine.  
“No, it’s not you. I just can’t believe Crane would do that.”  
“I was surprised too. He seemed so gentleman like before then.” David says.  
It’s then that I notice his hand his still on top of mine. I pull my hand away.   
“I’m telling you now, you don’t have to worry about your job. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you for talking to me.”   
But something might happen to Crane when I get my hands on him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As David drops me off at the apartment, he stops me before I get out of the car.  
“I’m really sorry if I upset you earlier at dinner. I didn’t mean to.”  
“Honestly, I’m not upset with you. Thank you for telling me.”  
“Abbie?”  
“David.”  
“Can I take you out again?”  
I smile. “I’ll let you know.” I say.  
I stumble and a wave of dizziness hits me as I get out of the car.  
“Whoa, are you okay?” David asks.  
“I’m fine. Goodnight David.”  
I’m probably just so mad at Crane, that I can barely contain it.  
“Goodnight.”  
I think about David’s ask to go out again as I take the elevator up to the penthouse. Honestly, I have no intention of going out with him again. David’s nice, but he’s incredibly boring. The food could have been better. And, I’m not stupid. David obviously brought up Crane to stir up trouble. I didn’t miss that. But right now, I don’t care about that, because his tactics worked. Crane is definitely in a world of trouble with me.   
“Lieutenant. Did you learn anything of value on your date?” Crane asks when I enter the apartment.   
“I sure did. As a matter of fact, I learned a lot.”  
“I knew it. What did that scoundrel revel?”  
“Well, let’s see. ‘Abbie may leave with you, but she calls my place home. And she always comes home’. Does that ring a bell? And on top of that, you threatened to fire him for going out with me.”  
Crane looks up at me. “Ah…I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”  
“Oh, ya think?”  
“In my defense—” Crane starts, but I cut him off.  
“No, no there is no ‘in your defense’. There is no excuse for why you would think it’s okay to piss a circle around me and treat me like I’m your property. Honestly Crane, I just never pictured you as the type. You don’t have anything to say for yourself?”  
“Lieutenant—”  
“You know, I don’t even want to hear it. I’m so mad at you, I could scream. You have no right to talk about like that, and then try to fire someone for showing interest. Who the hell do you think you are? Honestly, Crane, what would possess you to do something like that?”  
Crane says nothing.  
“You’re not going to answer me?”  
“…Is this the part where I can speak now?”  
“Don’t play games with me. Why would you do that?”  
“I thought if I scared him a little, he’d get jumpy and revel something.”  
“And how does that equal to your territorial behavior?”  
“Agent Espinosa…proceeded to goad me.”  
“Ah, so you let him get the better of you and entered into a pissing match. That makes it so much better.”  
“You were going on a date with someone we thought could be a spy, and quite honestly my suspicions are still there, so forgive me for trying to watch out for you.” Crane says with a little anger in his voice.   
“But it was more than just watching out for me. He baited you and you took it because you were jealous.”  
Crane opens his mouth, probably to deny it, but I stop him before he starts.  
“You were jealous Crane, which make no sense.”  
“Doesn’t it?” Crane shoots back.  
“No! No, it doesn’t. Crane, you are the most important guy in my life, and you always will be. Something I haven’t been quiet about.”  
The elevator dings in the middle of our argument and Jenny steps out.  
“Guys—” She starts, but I cut her off.  
“Not now Jenny.” I say.   
“I have to—”  
“The Lieutenant and I are in the middle of something; perhaps its best you come back later.” Crane says.  
“Oh my God, I found Grace!”  
We both turn to stare at her. It’s then that I notice someone standing next to Jenny. Grace. I guess I was so caught up in my anger, I didn’t even notice.  
“H..how?” I ask.   
“Hello Abigail, Ichabod.”  
“I don’t understand. How is this possible?” Crane asks.  
“To make a long story short, Abbie’s death messed with time.” Jenny says.  
“What?” I say.   
“Abigail, you get that your death wasn’t under normal circumstances?” Grace asks.  
That’s an understatement. “Yeah…”  
“Well, you also know that a Witness can’t move on without their other half.”  
Crane and I look at each other then back at her.   
“But there is a new Witness.” Crane says.  
“And I felt at peace when I died, at first anyway.” I add.   
“All an illusion. For a Witness to truly be at peace in death, he or she would have to go with their partner. As for this other female, Lara, she is a Witness, but she’s not your Witness Ichabod. That role is reserved for Abigail and vise versa. In other words, you are two sides of the same coin.”  
“But wait…how did my death screw with the time line?” I ask.  
“Due to the unnatural circumstances of your death, Ichabod was left without his other half, resulting in Molly and now Lara having to take the mantel. But like I said, she’s not Ichabod's other half. While she is meant to bare the mantel, it’s not now; not with Ichabod. So when you died, I was brought here to fix things. However, try as I might, I just couldn’t bring you back. So, as the years went by, I watched over Jennifer, Ichabod, and your followers. They never took on more than they could handle, so I didn’t interfere, instead choosing to focus on trying to find the right spell to bring you back. But I never succeeded. And yet, here you are, back in the flesh. And now, I can set the timeline right and go back to my own time.”   
“What happens to Miss Molly, Miss Lara, and Agent Thomas? Would it be like we’ve never met them?” Crane asks.  
“No, they’ll still be a part of your team. Only Abigail will have her essence back in full, instead of it being split, and Lara will become another follower until her appropriate time.”  
“Split?” I repeat.   
“Like I said, you can’t move on with Ichabod, so instead of Lara having your full Witness essence, it split. Half to you and half to Lara.”  
I’m stunned into silence.   
“I know, it’s a lot to process.” Grace says.   
“But wait, there’s more,” Jenny says. “Grace being here isn’t the best part: this is.” Jenny revels a thick, black book.   
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask.  
Jenny nods. “It’s our family’s grimoire.”   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
We’re all gather back at the Vault, except Jake and Alex.  
“Where’s our nerd squad?” Lara asks.  
“I tried to call them but they didn’t answer. Jake did text me that they were on to something and that they’ll check in shortly.” Jenny answers.  
“So that’s it; that’s the grimoire?” Diana asks.   
“This is it.” Jenny says.  
“And you’re…Grace…our ancestor.”   
“I am.” Grace replies.   
“Well, this is great. Can we use it to locate the remaining witches? Better yet, can it find my daughter?” Diana asks.  
Grace cocks her head.  
“What is it?” I ask.   
“Do you feel that?” She asks.  
“I don’t feel anything.” Crane says.  
“There’s something here. It’s…”   
Grace wonders around the room before stopping at Alex’s gadget table. She then feels around the table before pulling a weird gadget from it.   
“What is that?” Crane asks as Grace makes her way back to us.  
“This is a magically enhanced listening device. It also serves as a ward blocker.”  
“Ward blocker?” Jenny asks.  
“Yes, it keeps your magical wards lowered, so as to make it easier for evil to reach your premises. It’s strange; I’ve seen this kind of device before.” Grace answers as Crane takes it from her.  
I swallow. “From where?”  
“I don’t know; it’s a vague memory. Don’t worry, it’ll come to me.”  
That’s what I’m worried about. That device probably leads to Katrina, and though I had no part in placing that thing there—I didn’t even know it was there—I’m sure it’ll lead back to me somehow.   
“Can it be traced?” Crane asks.  
“Unfortunately, no.” Grace says.  
“Can you destroy it?” I ask.  
“That I can do.”   
Grace takes the device, lays it on the table, then preforms an incantation. The device turns to ashes on the table.   
“Do you sense any more?” Jenny asks.  
“No, I don’t think so. But your wards should now return to full strength.”  
An idea forms in my head. “Grace. We have a spy in our Agency.”  
“Clearly.”  
“Is there some spell you could use to sniff out the spy?”  
“Possibly, but I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.”  
“You’d need the Lieutenant and Miss Jenny to act as anchors.” Cane says.  
“More than that.” Grace says.  
“They’d have to be full on witches.” Diana says.  
“Yes.” Grace answers.   
“Do it.” Jenny and I both say without hesitation.   
“Wait.” Crane says.   
“We can’t wait. Lilith has Molly. Molly’s life depends on us finding that spy, because the spy could lead us to her.” Diana says.   
I look at Grace. “Do it.”  
Grace nods. “It’ll take some time for me to prepare the Activation spell.”  
“I thought it was the Awakening spell.” Diana says.   
“That targets every person who has witch blood within a ten thousand yard radius. The Activation spell narrows it down to who the spell caster wishes to awaken. I take it you and your daughter would wish to remain human.”  
“I wouldn’t mind it, but how would it affect Molly?” Lara asks.  
“Well, you are her and she is you, so it would also awaken her senses, something that wouldn’t be to our benefit with her in Lilith’s hands.”  
Lara nods.   
“Then we’ll stay human.” Diana says.  
“For now.” Lara adds.   
“I will need you two to act as anchors. And one last thing, your Vaults, as nice as they are, won’t do for the ritual. Especially if you have a spy sneaking around here. Do you have someplace more private?”  
“The cell.” Jenny says. “The Masonic Cell in Sleepy Hollow.”   
Grace nods. “We should make our way to Sleepy Hollow quickly. If anything happens to Molly, it would affect Lara, and thus the spell.”   
“To Sleepy Hollow then.” I say.  
The sooner we catch the spy, the sooner we can, hopefully, find Molly, and the sooner I can come clean with the team, before I’m forced to deliver the witches to Lilith.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change   
“Our listening device has been found.” Katrina informs Lilith.   
“No matter. We know they have the grimoire and our asset has just informed me that they plan to perform the Activation spell on the Mills sisters. Nothing’s changed; if anything, we’re ahead of schedule now.”  
“But they’ll likely find the spy.” Henry says.  
“So let them; I care not about that human. Just focus on keeping our asset safe.”  
“And what of your little friend?” Orion asks, meaning Molly.  
“She shall be our main attraction at the ball.”

End of Episode 5


	6. Episode Six: A Monster's Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Jake run into a problem as they continue to follow the three witches. The rest of the team heads to Sleepy Hollow to begin the Activation spell on the Abbie and Jenny. Captain Irving and Cynthia find a major clue while searching for the remaining witches family trees. The team then heads to Fredricks Manor to save Molly and stop Lilith, but runs into a complication. Abbie and Crane have another moment, leaving Abbie to question her feelings towards Crane.

Episode 6: A Monster’s Ball

“Have all the preparations for the ball been made?” Lilith asks.   
“Yes Mistress. The whole town is abuzz about tonight.” Henry answers.   
“And the girl? Is she secure?”   
“Yes Mistress.” Katrina replies.   
“Good. I’ll visit her later. Now, how about my creatures?”  
“They’re all in place; just waiting for your command.” Henry says.  
“Good. We shall throw Sleepy Hollow a Monster’s Ball so grand, even the Witnesses won’t want to miss it” Lilith says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jake’s POV  
“This is where they plan to resurrect Lilith?” I ask.  
We followed the witches to an abandoned mental hospital and now we’re searching around.  
“Well, what better place? It’s creepy, abandoned, and out of the way.” Alex says.   
“True. This place is creepy.” I say.  
Alex chuckles.   
“Hey, look at this.” I say, nodding towards some double doors.  
We hesitantly go through the doors. Inside is an experimenting lab. For the building to be so rundown, the lab is pretty clean and up to date.   
“This must be where the ritual is gonna take place.” Alex says.  
“Well, well, well, look what we have.” A voice says behind us.   
We turn around to see Alexandra Young, Simon Rhoads, and William Simpson, the three witches we were following. Before we can go for our guns, Simon throws his hands out, blowing Alex and I back. We hit the wall and fall to the ground. The last thing I hear before blacking out is one of them say, “Let’s get started.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
As soon as Diana and Lara left with Grace, Crane immediately tries to get me and Jenny to change our minds.  
“Lieutenant, Miss Jenny, please, this is madness. If you do this, you’ll be playing right into Lilith’s hand.” Crane says.  
“Or we’d be flipping the script and taking charge of our story. Besides, we have to in order to perform the spell to send Lilith back.” Jenny says.  
Crane then looks to me. “Lieutenant.”   
“Nothing you say is gonna change our minds. Why don’t you put your focus in to finding our where Alex and Jake are?” I say.  
Crane sighs, stares at us both as if that’s gonna change our mind, then goes to call Alex and Jake.   
“What was that?” Whispers Jenny, when Crane’s out of ear range.   
“What was what?” I ask.   
“There was definitely some attitude in ya voice just know.”  
I sigh. “Crane and I had a fight last night and we didn’t really resolve it, so I guess I’m still a little pissed at him.”   
“What were you fighting about?” Jenny asks.  
I recap our argument to Jenny.   
“Whoa, Crane said that? I did not picture him as the type.” Jenny says when I’m done.  
“Right. I just can’t imagine why he would do that.” I say.  
Jenny doesn’t respond and looks away.   
“What?” I say.   
“Nothing.” Jenny replies.   
“No, not nothing. What’s with the awkward side glance?” I ask.  
“It’s nothing.” Jenny says.  
“It’s obviously not nothing. You clearly have something to say, so say it.”  
“We’ll talk about it later. So, how long are you gonna give him this vague answer, silent treatment?”  
I narrow my eyes at her, but then decide to let it go. “I don’t know.” I say.  
“Well, don’t wait too long.” Jenny says.  
I stare at her.   
“You and Crane work best when you’re communicating and on good turns. Your argument throws things off and could compromise our mission.” Jenny clarifies.   
“Yeah, okay.” I say.   
“But…for what it’s worth, I also have my misgivings about David.” Jenny adds.  
I groan. “Not you too.”   
“I have my reasons. Agent Cals delivered a box of family history to the Vault for Stevie to deliver to me. Instead, David took them, but he didn’t deliver them to me right away or even leave them here with Alex and Jake. It was just weird. Ever since then, I’ve had a gut feeling telling me something’s off about him.”   
I sigh. “Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t miss how David mentioned Crane’s behavior to get a rise out of me. It’s weird. Let’s make a note to keep an eye on him.”   
Before Jenny or I can say more, Irving comes in with Cynthia.   
“Frank, Cynthia. What are you two doing here?” Jenny asks.  
“I called them,” I say. “We need someone to keep up our research on the witches and since we’re cleaning house, it just seemed like a good idea to have people outside the Agency do it.”   
“It’s good to see you again.” Irving says to us and hugs us each.   
“How you doing Cynthia?” I ask.  
“I’m good. Ready to get to work.” She replies with a smile.   
“How’s Macy?” Jenny asks.   
“She’s good. She’s ever curious about the supernatural, but we have her mainly focusing on her studies.” Cynthia replies.   
“Okay, Miss Alex wouldn’t answer her phone, nor would Master Jake but he did text me that he and Miss Alex were still following up on part of Lilith’s coven and that he’ll get back with us shortly. Oh, hello Captain, Mrs. Irving.” Crane says as he comes back to our table.   
The Irvings greet Crane.  
“Okay, we should be heading to Sleepy Hollow. All the research we have is on this table. Call us if you need us.” I tell them.   
“We’re good here.” Irving says.  
“Yeah, go stop Lilith. We’re fine.” Cynthia adds.   
I nod and without further hesitation, Crane, Jenny, and I leave for Sleepy Hollow.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Molly’s POV  
That freaky guy with the weird eyes locked me in a bedroom upstairs. So far, I can’t find a way out, but at least I’m not tied down and have free reign to look around. The window is a no go. There are bars on it and they have a magical shock every time I touch them. The floor isn’t hollow so there’s not a trap door there, not that I’d expect that since I’m upstairs. The walls don’t reveal a trap door either. I sigh and kick at the wall.   
“My, my, what a temper you have.” Says a smooth, female voice from behind me.   
I turn around to see a tall, brown woman standing in the doorway. She’s dressed in…an Eve costume, like from the Garden of Eden.   
“Who are you?” I ask.   
“I am Lilith.” She replies.   
“What’s with the Eve costume?” I ask.   
“It’s symbolic. And so is your costume. Here. Put it on.”   
“I’m not taking that.” I say.   
“Take it.” Lilith says.  
I stare at her. Lilith raises her eyebrow at me. Slowly, I walk towards her with my hand out to take the costume. At the last minute, I shove her hand aside and try to bolt out of the room. Before I get far, I’m yanked from behind and thrown back onto the bed.   
I groan and sit up.   
“Don’t be a brat and don’t anger me further. Put on the costume.” Lilith says.  
“Let me go. You can’t keep me here!” I scream as she closes the door.   
I let out a frustrated scream.   
Calm down Molly. There has to be some way out, but getting frustrated won’t get you anywhere, I think.   
I take a few deep breaths, then get off the bed and continue my search for a way out of the room.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Alex’s POV  
I come to, tied to a chair. I look around to see I’m still in the lab. I turn my head as much as I can to see Jake behind me, still unconscious.   
“Jack. Jake.” I call but he doesn’t answer me.   
I throw my head back to hit his. “Jake!”  
He jerks awake. “Ow, what was that for? Hey, where are we?”  
“We’re still in the mental hospital. The witches jumped us.” I remind him.   
Jake pulls at our binds. “Right. Can you loosen your binds? Or try to reach mine?”  
I try but they won’t budge. “They must have enchanted them.”  
Alexandra comes in before we can say more.   
“Oh good, you’re up.” She says.   
“What do you want from us?” Jake asks.  
“Hey, you two were the ones following us. What do you want?” She retorts.  
Simon Rhoads and William Simpson come into the room.  
“Finally. Are you two ready?” Alexandra says to them.  
They nod. Then they all crowd around me and Jake.   
“What are you doing?” I ask.  
“Brace yourselves. This is gonna hurt.” Simon says.   
They begin to chant and it doesn’t take long before I get what Simon says. It’s like their sifting through my brain. It’s so painful, I can’t stop from crying out. The last thing I hear is Jake’s scream before I pass out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Frank’s POV  
“Abbie wasn’t kidding when she said the team was deadlocked.” Cynthia says.   
We’ve been searching and searching, but haven’t found anything.   
“No kidding.” I say.   
There’s silence and then Cynthia breaks it.   
“Frank, did you miss this?” Cynthia asks me.  
“Miss what?”  
“This. The hunting, the research, this job.”  
“Well, it’s not like I completely gave it up. Remember, you and Macy wouldn’t let me.” I say with a chuckle.   
“Working with Abbie and Crane then.”  
“Yeah, I guess it’s nice to be back with them. But they won’t come before you and Macy. They have their team. I’m just back up for the back up now.” I say.  
“Mm, once a disciple, always a disciple.” She says.  
I look at her. “That may be true, but if it boiled down to it, you and Macy would come first. I may have a duty to this cause, but I also have a duty to my family. Ok?”  
“Yeah. I’m not…insecure about it, by the way. I was just curious. But I do want to make sure you know you don’t have to fix everything.”  
“Meaning what?” I ask.  
“It’s just…you do have a complex where you feel you have to fix everything. Even with Macy—”  
“No, I didn’t try to fix Macy. I just wanted her to have what she lost.”  
“Fine. But I just want you to think about how close you are with this. Like I said, I’m not insecure, but I just want you to be honest with yourself, so that you can be honest with us.”   
I come up to Cynthia, kiss her forehead, then look in her eyes. “Nothing and no one are coming before my family.”  
“Okay.” She says.  
I stare down at her book, and start to look away, but something catches my eye. “What is that?”  
“What?”  
“That. There’s something…” I take the page in the book that I’m looking at in my hand.   
“This page is too thick.” I say.  
Cynthia looks down at the page.   
I slowly peel a second page from the one I hold.   
“A hidden page.” I say.  
“But it’s blank.” Cynthia says.  
“Is it?” I say.   
I walk over to a table that has a lot of chemicals on it. I search around until I find what I’m looking for.   
“What is that?” Cynthia asks.  
“Invisible ink and it’s reapplying agent.” I say.  
I slather the agent over the page. We wait a few seconds, before the content is revealed.   
“A family tree. Frank, this is it.”   
“We need to search the other books for pages like this.” I say as I jot down the names of the family tree.   
After searching for a while, we find the other two family trees and jot them down as well.   
“We’ve found the last three family members.” Cynthia says.   
“Well, isn’t that wonderful.” A voice says from the door.  
We turn to see Alex and Jake.   
“Hey. I thought you two were supposed to be meeting Crane and Abbie in Sleepy Hollow.” I say.   
“We were, then they called us and told us to check on you two.” Alex says as she and Jake look around.   
Something in my gut is telling me otherwise. It’s something about their strange behavior, looking around as though they’ve never seen the place, irks me. As they look around, I hide the copies of the family trees I’ve created in a draw. Cynthia raises an eyebrow at me.  
“Is that right?” I ask them.  
“Yes.” Jake answers.  
“Perhaps we should call them and ask them.” Cynthia says.   
“Good idea. Let’s do that.” I say and take out my phone.  
All of a sudden, Cynthia and I are flying across the room, with the bookshelf breaking our fall. We hit the ground with a hard thump.  
“Your team always has to make things so hard.” Alex says.  
“It’s nerve wrecking.” Jake adds.   
As I struggle to stay conscious, I see Jake and Alex change forms before me. Now stands two people I don’t recognize. The last thing I see is them grab the original family tree documents then rush out of the vault.   
When I come to, Alex is standing over me and Jake is helping Cynthia up. I grab the gun at my side and aim it at her.   
“Who are you?”   
“Captain Irving, it’s Alex.” She says with her hands up.  
“Prove it.” I say.  
“Frank, it’s them. I already verified that.” Cynthia says.   
Hesitantly, I put my gun back in its holster.   
“What happened?” Jake asks.  
“You first. What happened to you two?” I say.  
“We were following three of the witches to an abandoned mental hospital when they jumped us.” Alex says.   
“They tied us up and started…I don’t know how to explain it. It was like they were rifling through our memories. I guess they found what they were looking for because when we came to, they were gone and we were lying on the floor, free from our bounds.” Jake adds.   
“We rushed here to see if anything was missing and that’s when we found you two. Do you know what they took?” Alex says.  
“We found the missing family trees. They were hidden within the books, stuck to the back of another page. Once we found them, we had to use a reapplying agent to revel the invisible wording.” Cynthia says.   
“And now they have them.” Jake says.   
“And we’re at a lost.” Alex adds.   
“Not true.” Cynthia says.  
Alex and Jake stare at her.  
“I made a copy of all of them. They have the original version, but we still have the remaining three families.” I say.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
Grace, Lara, and I have been down in the Masonic cell for about thirty minutes now, setting up for the Activation spell. So far, we’ve worked in silence, but I am dying to ask Grace questions about how soon we can go after Molly once the spell is done. After a few more minutes, I can’t hold back anymore.   
“Grace?” I say.  
“Yes?”  
“How soon can we go after Molly once Abbie and Jenny’s transformations are complete? With the ball at Fredricks Manor tonight, that must be where Molly is.” I say.  
“Yes, with Lilith. I know you’re worried about your daughter, and you have every right to be with her in Lilith’s hands, but trust me, Lilith is not someone you want to come at fast and hard without a plan. If you wish to get your daughter back safely, we must approach this cautiously. I promise you, though, I’m going to do everything in my power to deliver your daughter back to you in one piece.”  
“How much do you know about Lilith?” Lara asks her.   
“We’re all taught about Lilith and how our ancestors April and June defeated her. Well, up until recent generations.”  
“Huh. I guess that makes sense.” Lara says.  
“Can I ask you two a question now?” Grace asks.  
“Sure.” I say.  
“Watching over you all these last three years, I’ve seen what’s happened to Jeremy, but do you know of what happened to Katrin?.”  
Lara and I share a look.   
“I only ask because I’ve notice how Ichabod looks at Abigail and how he’s mourned her over the years. It seems very intimate for a married man. I’d ask Abigail or Ichabod, but I wouldn’t want to bring up any harmful memories.”  
“Well…it all happened before we met Crane, but what I managed to get from Jenny is that Katrina went to the dark side.” I say.   
“She kind of hinted that Katrina chose that path after seeing how close Crane and Abbie were. She just got jealous.” Lara adds.   
“Hm. I guess you can’t fight fate.” Grace says.  
Lara and I share another look.   
“Fate?” I ask.   
Before Grace can answer, Abbie, Jenny, and Crane enter the cell.   
“Hey. Is everything set?” Abbie asks.   
“Yes, we’re ready. Abigail, you and Jennifer stand in the middle of the circle. Diana, you go to stand there, outside of the circle, Lara you stand across from her, and I’ll stand in front of the sisters. Ichabod, it’s best if you stand back.” Grace says.   
As we all take our places, I make a silent promise to Molly. I’m coming baby, just hold on a little longer.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Ladies, I want you to brace yourselves as much as you can. When the spell takes hold, it may feel foreign and, perhaps, a bit unpleasant for the first couple of minutes.” Grace says to Abbie and Miss Jenny.  
The sisters nod. Abbie looks towards me. Despite my feelings towards this plan, I try to give her a reassuring smile. She lets out a breath and looks back at Grace. Abbie may still be mad at me, but she is glad that I’m here. Her release in breath tells me all I need to know.   
“Diana and Lara, I want you to repeat after me.” Grace says.   
She then begins the incantation and Agent Thomas and Miss Lara follow suit. At first Abbie and Miss Jenny seem fine, but as the ladies continue to chant, Abbie and Miss Jenny’s eyes turn white and their breathing elevates, similar to how the Awakening spell would work on people. It’s only when Grace, Agent Thomas, and Miss Lara finish chanting that the Mills sisters' eyes change back to their normal colors. Everything seems fine…until Abbie and Miss Jenny fall to the floor. I rush to help them, but Grace stops me.   
“No. Not yet.” Grace says.  
We wait a few more seconds before Grace calls out to them.   
“Abigail, Jennifer.”  
Slowly, they both come to.   
“The transformation is complete.” Grace says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“How do you feel?” Crane asks me and Jenny as he and Lara help us up.   
“That was definitely strange. But not like I expected.” Jenny says.   
“How do you mean?” Crane ask.  
“It’s like I’m…whole, only—” Jenny says.   
“I didn’t know I was missing something until now.” I finish.   
“Yes, that feeling will only last for a few hours.” Grace says.   
“Ok. Abbie and Jenny have their powers. We should head to Fredricks Manor now.” Diana says.   
“Not just yet.” Grace answers her.  
“Then when? Every second we wait—”   
“Diana, I’ve already told you, we will get Molly out safely, I promise you, but we need to come up with a plan first. In addition to that, Abigail and Jennifer need a moment to get accustom to their powers. If they were to go in unaware of their strengths, it could prevent us from getting to Molly, endangering her further.”   
Diana sighs, but says nothing else.   
“First things first, we should figure out what we’re going to do with the grimoire. We can’t show up to the ball with it, but we can’t leave it at the Vaults.” Jenny says.   
“Perhaps we could leave it here, in the cell.” I say.   
“What if there are spies in the Archives?” Lara says.   
“Maybe we could do a spell to make it invisible.” I suggest.   
“Yes. Good idea.” Grace says.   
“How are we going to get into the ball?” Miss Lara asks.   
“What do you mean?” Crane asks.  
“No costume, not entry.” She says.  
“I assumed we were the exceptions. In any case, Crane’s clothing is costume for us all.” Diana says.   
I give a snort, Jenny, Lara, and Grace give a chuckle. Crane scoffs.   
“I may have a solution to that.” Grace says.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I say.   
Grace’s “solution” are three eighteenth century ball gowns, she stored away back at the cabin. Apparently, she and other members of our family used this cabin, often for spells. Crane had no idea about the trunk hidden in one of the closets. None of us did.   
“How are we supposed to move in these?” I say.   
“Let alone breathe?” Jenny says.   
“Honestly, I’d rather be a mermaid.” I mutter.  
“This is just to get you in the door. I’ll be there to help you out of them, once you get inside.” Grace says.   
“Might I add, you all look very lovely.” Crane says.   
“Thanks Crane.”   
“So, once we’re inside, Lara, Diana and I will locate Molly. Abigail, you, Ichabod, and Jennifer will search for Lilith. Once you find her, you will inject her with this serum then repeat the word ‘capio’—capture— and Lilith should become paralyzed long enough for us to get her somewhere more private where we can preform the ritual to send her from Earth.” Grace says.   
“And the grimoire?” I ask.  
“Safely hidden in plain sight, right here in the cabin.” Grace says.   
“Are we all ready?” Crane asks.   
We nod. “Ready.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
“Quick question, how are we suppose to get in the car with these on?” Abbie asks.  
“Who needs a car, when we could portal.” Grace answers.   
She then proceeds to create such a portal. In the next minute we are standing in front of Fredricks manor. Just inside there is loud, orchestral music, as well as machine generated fog. A door man greets us and lets us in. We all give each other one final glance and nod, before separating.   
Lara and I try to keep up with Grace, even with the constrictions of our dresses, as we weave through the crowd of people. Abruptly, Grace stops and Lara and I nearly run into the back of her.   
“What is it; what’s wrong?” I ask.   
“There are so many supernatural creatures here…it’s throwing off my locator spell. Just a moment, I need to concentrate.”   
As Grace tries to get her locator spell to work, Lara and I look around. We’re in a large crowd of people in all kinds of crazy costumes, mingling about. There are people in vampire costumes, werewolf costumes, headless costumes, lizard costumes.   
“We need to figure out how to handle the creatures. We can’t just have them walking about.” Lara says.  
“Yeah, but how do we separate the real from the fake?” I say, more than ask.  
“We’ll ask Grace if there’s a spell that can be done after we find Molly.” Lara answers.   
“Come on ladies, this way.” Grace says.   
We follow her upstairs without much trouble. Grace stops in front of a door.   
“Here. Molly should be here.”   
I’m quick to open the door but stop just short of coming in. Molly is dressed in an India Jones costume and is hanging from a chandelier. Every few minutes, the chandelier lowers itself. Below her are a pit full of snakes.   
“Mom!” Molly says.   
“It’s okay. We’re gonna get you down.” I say as we slowly enter the room and close the door.   
“Mom, you have to get outta here. It’s a trap.” Molly says.  
“We’re not leaving you.” I say.   
“This is Grace. She’s a witch and she’s gonna help us get you down.” Lara adds.   
“You don’t understand. It’s all a set up.” Molly says.  
“We’ll talk about it when we get you down.” I say.   
“The second you get me down, Lilith is gonna know you’re here. She gonna kill all the creatures and turn all the party goers into her followers.”   
“What are you talking about?” Lara asks.  
“Of course, it all makes sense now.” Grace says.  
“Does it?” I ask.  
“Yes. Lilith absorbs creatures’ essences when they die. And every time you kill a creature, Lilith becomes stronger because she gains the strength from the creature. This is what prolongs her time on Earth until the ritual can be done to make her stay permanent. All the while, building her followers. How did you find this out?”  
“I managed to find a way around the magic they used to lock me in a room. Which is why I’m hanging from the ceiling with snakes under me.” Molly answers.   
“Well we can’t leave you up there.” I say.   
“Lara, call Abigail and let them know to be ready. We have to get her down now, though, before she reaches those snacks. They’re poisonous and probably magically enhanced.” Grace says.  
Lara does as she’s told. Once she gets off the phone, she nods.   
“Okay. Let’s get her down.”   
Grace does an incantation and moments later, a thick piece of glass manifests over the pit of snakes.   
“We have to hurry. The glass won’t hold long with them knocking against it like that.” She says.   
We find the rope that’s holding Molly up. Under it is a candle stick, burning the rope slowly. I blow out the candle and Lara unties the rope. We both slowly lower her down over the glass. Grace unbinds her hands and she rushes off the glass and into my arms. We share an embrace but Molly breaks it too soon.   
“We should go. Those snakes are close to breaking that glass and I have a feeling we look like perfect snacks to them.” Grace says.   
“There’s something else.” Molly says.  
“What is it?”   
“I over heard more of Lilith’s conversation than she knows.”  
I stare at her.   
“Mom, I know who the spy is. We have to get back to the grimoire before they get there.”   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“Where the hell is Grace? How are we suppose to get these things off without her?” I say.   
“Well…I mean….” Jenny says and looks at Crane.   
“Oh, but no. Those were rather frustrating things and I was never really of any help. Another thing I’m glad society has left behind.” Crane says.  
“Oh really, why’s that?” Jenny asks.  
“Hm?”  
“You still wear the same thing, but you’re glad women don’t wear these anymore. What woman would you be needing to get clothing off of?”  
“…hm?”  
My phone rings, saving Crane from having to answer further. Jenny snorts and I roll my eyes at him, as I answer the phone.   
“Mills. What? Yeah, yeah, okay.”   
I hang up.   
“That was Lara. Lilith had Molly hanging above a pit of snakes as a waring bell of sorts for when we got here. Lilith’s gonna absorb all the creatures’ powers and essences. I can only guess she’s gonna showcase her powers in order to obtain more followers. Come on, we have to find her.”  
We search all through the ground floor, but don’t find her.   
“Maybe she’s upstairs.” Crane says.  
“Or…maybe she’s standing next to Sheriff Reyes, wearing an Eve costume and sharing a drink with her.” Jenny says.   
Crane and I follow Jenny’s stare until we spot her.   
“How are we supposed to inject her with the sheriff standing there?” Jenny says.   
“We’ll approach her slowly.” Crane says.   
As we make our way to them, I seemed to catch Sheriff Reyes’s eye.   
“Mills? What are you doing here? I’m sure I’ve seen your gravestone.” Reyes says.  
“Yes, well…I was on assignment and it required that I fake my death.”  
“Hm. And how is the FBI treating you?” She asks.  
“I’m with Homeland Security now.”  
“Oh! Congratulations. I see they even let you keep your partner.”  
“Mm-hm.”  
“How are you Mr. Crane?”  
“Very well Sheriff. And yourself?”  
“Good. And how’s the wife?”  
I inwardly cringe.   
“…Deceased.” Crane replies.  
“I’m sorry for your loss.”   
“Are you certain? Ms.—Mills was it—certainly proved that nothing stays dead here in Sleepy Hollow. But then again, maybe it’s of no matter to you; I sense you desire someone else. Maybe she desires you back. Call it a gut feeling.” Lilith says.  
I narrow my eyes at her. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”  
“Oh, where are my manors? This is Lilin, the new owner of Fredricks Manor. Lilin, this is Abbie and Jenny Mills and their friend Ichabod Crane.” Reyes says.  
“How do you do?” Lilith says.   
“Hm. What an interesting costume…Lilin.” I say.  
“Thank you. Call me petty but it’s a nod to my ex-husband’s new wife and what he settled for.”  
Someone calls to Reyes.   
“Excuse me. Oh, and Mills, if you ever get tired of that high life with HS, there’s always a spot for back at the department.”  
I nod and Reyes goes to join whoever called her. They both soon exit the party all together.   
“Now that we’re alone, should we get down to business?” Lilith says.   
“Yes, lets.” Crane says and pulls out the needle.   
Lilith tuts. “Before you attempt to stick me with that, you should know something.”  
“And what’s that?” Jenny says.   
“I have my witches watching. Should you attempt to use that on me, they have instructions to allow the creatures here to start attacking the humans.”  
“I think you’re bluffing.” Jenny says.   
“Am I? Well, how about this, call it the cherry on top, my witches also have instructions to finish Miss Molly off. You see, while she was here, I took the liberty of taking out some insurance. I had a vampire compel her. Should he receive the call that he’s been instructed to give upon my demise, she will kill Grace, Lara, and Diana, then she will bring me your family grimoire right before taking her own life.”   
“You lie.” Crane says.  
“Is that a risk you’re willing to take?” Lilith says.   
The serum in Crane’s hand spontaneously combusts. I gasp.   
“Hello Father,” Henry says. “Couldn’t let you risk trying to inject my Mistress, now could I?”  
“Henry.” Crane growls.   
“Is everything set?” Lilith asks him.  
“Yes.”  
“Good. Do stick around Team Witness. You’re about to witness something grand.” Lilith says, before she and Henry depart.   
“We need to leave, now,” I say. “Our plan’s a bust, we’re surrounded by monsters, and we have no weapons.”  
“We have our magic.” Jenny says.  
“Of which, we don’t know how to use. We need to go.”  
Before we can continue our argument, Lilith begins to speak from the top of the stairs.   
“Hello everyone. I’m your host, Lilin, and I want to thank you all for showing up, as well as the hospitality your town as showed me. You’ve all been quite welcoming. And now, I would like to return the favor.”  
As we edge our way to the door, we’re bumped into by someone. Two someones.  
“Hello Witnesses. I told you I’d see you soon.” Orion says, as he and Headless guard the door.  
“You all are surrounded by dangerous creatures, ready to rip your throats out. On my command, they will. However, I can save you from your gruesome fates. In exchange, you must pledge your allegiance to me.”  
Murmurs go around the room.   
“You don’t believe me? Coven!”   
On Lilith’s call, the creatures reveal themselves and are posed to attack. There are frightened screams all around the room.   
“This is your last chance towns people. Join with me, or die.”   
Everything is quiet for a moment, then one by one, the towns people begin to hesitantly kneel. Lilith smirks triumphantly.   
“This is how soldiers are meant to behave.” Orion says.   
“Coven, dispose of these creatures.” Lilith says.   
The witches that Lilith’s manage to gain, begin chanting and pretty soon a loud, harsh wind takes over the room as Lilith begins to intake their powers. As they do so, Headless and Orion grab us. As Jenny and Crane struggle against them, I whisper the incantation Grace did to manifest a portal.  
“Let us go!” Jenny yells.   
Orion and Headless do let go. Jenny somehow managed to fling them across the room with her yell. As Jenny stands startled, I push Crane through the portal before grabbing Jenny and jumping through it. We land with a hard thud in front of the cabin.   
“Ow.” Jenny says.   
Diana, Grace, Molly, and Lara come out of the cabin to see what the noise is.   
“You’re back.” Lara says, as they help us stand.   
“Yes, now can you help us get these damn dresses off?” I say.   
After we’ve gotten out of the dresses, we go over everything that has happened.   
“Is the grimoire sill here?” I ask.  
“No, it’s gone.” Diana says.  
“Damn it!” Jenny says.   
“What about Alex and Jake? Have you been able to get a hold of them?” Crane asks.  
“They’re headed over now with the Irvings.” Lara says.  
No sooner than she said it, they bust through the doors.   
“What are you trying to do, give us a heart attack?” Grace scorns.   
“Sorry, but we have big news.Wait, who are you?” Jake says.   
We give them a quick review.   
“Now where were you two?” Jenny asks.  
“We got jumped by part of Lilith’s coven. They had us tied up and were going through our memories.” Jake says.  
“But you texted me.” Crane says.  
“No, they took our phones.” Alex adds.   
“What’s your news?” Jake asks.   
“Well, the grimoire’s gone and Lilith has the allegiance of nearly every towns person in Sleepy Hollow, along with over a hundred monsters’ energies.” I say.   
“We found the remaining three family trees. They were stuck to different pages in different books, under invisible ink.” Cynthia says.   
“Unfortunately, a pair of Lilith’s witches posing as us came into the Vault and stole them.” Alex says.  
“I thought our wards were back up.” Crane says.  
“It takes a while for them to return to full strength.” Grace answers.  
“But, I made copies of the family trees, so we have a version as well.” Frank says.  
“Now it’s just a matter of who gets to them first.” Jake finishes.   
“The spy. I know who the spy is.” Molly says.  
We all stare at her.  
“I forgot to mention it, while you all were trading information. It’s Agent Cals.” She says.  
“Monica?” Jenny asks.   
“How do you know for certain?” Crane asks.   
“I heard them talking about her. They described Agent Cals perfectly.”   
“What did they say about her?” I ask.  
“That she was to use some type of invisibility spell to follow you all around until she got the grimoire. After that, Lilith said she didn’t care what happened to her.”   
“You think she’s still here now?” Jenny asks Grace.  
Grace mutters a few words then shakes her head. “We are alone.”   
“That bitch,” Diana says. “I never liked her. I told you when you hired her, I didn’t like her.” She says to Crane.  
“But why would she do it? Monica is just human. What does she gain?” Jake asks.  
“The favor of a soon to be powerful demoness. She’s a human reaching for power by proximity; trying to get into the high court of it all.” I say.   
“Okay, so what do we do now?” Cynthia asks.   
I sigh. “Grace, can a protection spell be done on the property, to keep out Lilith and her prying eyes?”   
“That should be simple to perform.”   
“Good. This will be our base until we can flush out any other prying eyes that might be in the Vault or Archives.”   
“In the meantime, we should all get some rest,” Crane adds. “We have a very busy next few days if we’re going to stay ahead of Lilith.”   
After agreeing to meet at the Cabin tomorrow, we all depart for home. Grace heads home with Diana. After we told her about what Lilith said might happen to Molly, Grace said that she’d watch over her for the next few days.   
I’m near exhausted by the time Crane and I get back to the apartment and have every intention of heading to bed, but Crane has other ideas.   
“Abbie.”  
I turn to stare at him.  
“We should talk.” He says.   
“Uh-oh, it must be serious if you called me Abbie.” I say as I follow him to the sofa.   
“I want you to know that I am very sorry for my actions with Agent Espinosa. I was out of line, and yes, perhaps a bit jealous.”  
I put a hand to his cheek. “Crane, you never have to be jealous of any guy that comes into my life. You are honestly, the most important man in my life and you will always be. No one is gonna replace you. You’re my guy, always and forever.” I say.  
Crane starts into my eyes and it’s only now I realize how close we sit. We’re close enough to kiss. And yet, we don’t move apart. My eyes go to his lips and I wonder what it would be like to feel his lips pressed against mine again. I lean in closer.   
“Abbie…” Crane whispers.   
I don’t give him time to say more. I press my lips against his. The kiss is, at first, soft and sweet. But it soon changes to a demanding kiss, on Crane’s part. Crane nibbles at my lips and when I gasp, he groans and slides his tongue in. It’s only when our tongues touch that Crane pulls away. I try to lean back in, but he holds me off as we both try to catch our breaths.   
“Perhaps, due to all the…excitement of today, we should just—” Crane starts.   
“Go to bed.” I finish.   
“Yes.”  
It takes a moment for either of us to move, but we do.   
“Good night Crane.”   
“Good night Abbie.”   
As I close my door, I lean against it. Holy shit. That was definitely not the kind of kiss we shared at the jail. I like it though. Holy shit, I liked it. A lot. By why did I do that? I’ve never had the urge to kiss Crane. But sitting that close and face to face with him, something came over me. It has to be something Lilith did. Maybe being so close to her makes desires surface, with her being a succubus and all. But since when have I desired Crane? I suppose there’s been some flirting over the years, but desire like I felt just now? Dr. Kelly’s words come back to me.  
“Maybe it’s something to think about.”   
Maybe there is something there. I know Crane has feelings for me, and sure there’s attraction, but could we have more?   
As I crawl into bed, I try to ease the pressure building at my core, by clamping my thighs together. I try to focus on other things, things that will put me to sleep, but I just can’t go. After tossing and turning, I get a text. I pick up my phone to see it’s from.... Monica. She wants me to meet her at her apartment and sends me the address.   
Hesitantly, I put on clothes. Then I try to focus on Monica’s address. I create a portal and walk through it. Once I come out of it, I’m in a pretty average living room.   
“I thought it was time you and I had a talk, without all those false pretenses.” Monica says from behind me.   
I turn around. “I agree. How about you tell me where the grimoire is?”  
“I don’t have it anymore. I gave it to Lilith.” She says.   
“Why would you sign your soul over to her?”  
“I didn’t sign anything over her. Lilith wants to restore this world to the beauty it once had. I agree with her and offered to help.” Monica says.   
“Why? You know she cares nothing of you. I could kill you right now and she wouldn’t even blink.”   
“You’re wrong. Lilith’s going to reward me for my services.”   
I scoff. “What do you want?”  
“To convince you to come with me willingly to Lilith.”   
“Are you crazy? You know what, I’m sorry I asked; of course you are. What’s stopping me from killing you? It would ease one of my problems.”   
Monica pulls out her phone and shows me a picture. In it, I’m helping Orion to escape the Angel Hex.   
“This is why you won’t kill me. It’s also why you’ll come with me. If you attempt to harm me or refuse to come, I’ll send the picture to Crane and the rest of the team. It’s all the proof they need to figure out you’re Lilith’s real spy.”   
“Hm. And I suppose you’ve made copies right, just ready to send them to the team?” I ask.   
“No. Right now, this is just between us; our little secret. But I can always press send now and change that.”   
I shake my head. “You are so out of your league. And the way I see it, you’ve over played your hand.”   
“Have I?”   
“Yes. You know the best way to keep a secret between two people Monica?”  
She cocks her head at me.   
With the twist of two figures, I snap her neck. Her lifeless body falls to the ground. I pick up her phone and put it in the palm of my hand. Within seconds, it obliterates into tiny pieces of ash. With one final glance to her, I portal myself back to my room. I will tell the team about my…betrayals in my own time, in my own way. I will not be bullied by her, or Katrina, or Lilith. Even with the grimoire gone, I still contain more power than them, and right now, mine is unstable. That’s dangerous, but I will use it to my advantage if I have to.   
Careful Abbie, whispers the Other version. ‘Whoever fights monsters should see to it that she does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss; the abyss will gaze back into you’.  
I groan and put my hands to my head.   
“Shut up.” I tell her.   
But she’s right. If I keep down this path of deception, who will I be when I reach the end of it?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“Well, I think that went quite well, don’t you?” Lilith asks.   
“Yes, it was. If only the Witnesses hadn’t slipped through our fingers.” Orion says.  
“Oh no matter. I have a feeling we’ll see them soon enough.” Lilith replies.   
“Jeremy and I will soon locate the remaining witches thanks to the family trees our coven has acquired. And you should be well with all the strength you have gotten, right?” Katrina says.   
“Indeed. What about the towns people?” Lilith asks Henry.   
“They won’t remember a thing, but when you call on them, they will answer. When asked about you, they will only speak good. You are they’re leader and they don’t even know it.” He answers.   
“Good. Oh Katrina, you were mentioned in passing tonight.”  
“Oh, really?” Katrina says, in mock surprise.   
“I do believe your husband misses you. Perhaps it is time for a reunion.”   
Katrina smirks.  
End of Episode 6


	7. Episode Seven: Will They or Won't They?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Witness has found a way to find the remaining three witches and now it boils down to who will get to them first: Team Witness or Lilith. But the witches aren't all that helpless as they seem. Crane has a disturbing vision and Abbie comes to a realization. Abbie also shares something with the team. Lilith is closer to victory than the team realizes. Crane and Abbie's relationship takes a turn.
> 
> **WARNING: ADULT CONTENT IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 7: Will They or Won’t They

“How much longer is it going to take to find the remaining witches? You have their names now.” Orion asks Henry.  
“Someone clearly doesn’t want them to be found, or perhaps they simply don’t want to be found. Either way, it’s as if they’re under some hiding spell. I suggest we enlist the help of the rest of the coven to find them.” Henry says.  
“Then do it. It’s been nearly another month and, while I’m not running low on energy, I’m eager to be restored to my full glory. Otherwise, I’ll be making the same mistake Pandora and her oh so stupid husband made: allowing the Witnesses time to figure out a way to send me back. Even without their grimoire, they are nothing if not resourceful. As soon as Katrina’s finished her little…visit, you’ll begin the spell.” Lilith says.  
“Yes Mistress.” Henry says.  
“In the meantime, Orion, why don’t you and Abraham follow the Witnesses. In the event that they do find them before us, you two can be there to rescue them from Team Witness.”  
“Yes Lilith.”  
“And I will continue working on the ritual. By tonight, all four horsemen shall ride again.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I take two jabs at the punching bag in front of me before giving it a swift kick. I continue this routine over and over again. I’ve had so much built-up energy over these last few weeks and it has everything to do with Crane and the kiss we shared. I expected the next day to be awkward but it wasn’t. We didn’t even talk about it. But it’s like we didn’t need to. And, of course we’ve always been close, but now it’s like we’re becoming even closer. Every little glance, every small touch seems like so much more. I feel like a hormonal teen. I’m in a constant state of arousal lately, hence all the built-up energy. I’ve tried nearly everything to tame it from kickboxing, to yoga, to running, but nothing has helped. All I really wanna do is strip Crane naked, shove him on a bed, and sink down on his—  
“Abbie!” Jenny says, snapping me out of my thoughts.  
“Huh?” I say, with heavy breaths.  
“You’re putting in work on that punching back. What’s up? Did you and Crane get into another fight? I know you two have been really close over the last few weeks. Did something happen?”  
If only. One of those fights that ends with both of us naked and tangled in each other’s arms.  
“No,” I pant as I step away from the bag. “I just have a lot of energy since the Activation Spell. Don’t you?”  
“I don’t think I’ve felt a difference.” Jenny says.  
“Hm, it’s just me then. I guess I’m eager to see what we can do.” I lie.  
“Well, maybe ask Grace for an extra lesson?” Jenny suggests.  
“Yeah, maybe. Speaking of lessons and what not, I should get going or I’m gonna be late for my therapy session. See you later at the cabin.”  
“Yeah, see ya.” Jenny says.  
I sigh as I leave the gym. I’m definitely taking a cold shower when I get back to the apartment.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
I awoke this morning with Abbie on my mind. I have ever since that kiss we shared. I wanted so much more, I still do, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her. I chalked her behavior up to something Lilith did, or maybe simply being in Lilith’s presence is why Abbie had such a strong reaction. Either way, it didn’t seem right to continue. Not when Abbie’s made it clear she wants nothing more than friendship. That still doesn’t stop the thoughts though. I’d like nothing more than to strip Abbie naked and slowly make my way down to her—  
“Ichabod…”  
I snap out of my thoughts and look up from the coffee I’m making when I hear my name.  
“Ichabod…”  
I hear it again.  
“Hello?” I say.  
Suddenly, I’m no longer in the kitchen. I’m now standing in Sleepy Hollow’s Town Hall where…where I killed Katrina.  
“Hello Ichabod.”  
I turn around to find Katrina standing there.  
“What is this?” I ask.  
“Don’t you know? This is where you killed me.” Katrina says.  
“No…no, this isn’t real.” I say and close my eyes.  
“Are you sure? Would you like to feel the dagger sticking out from my stomach? Perhaps you’d like to twist it.” She says.  
I open my eyes and see her standing before me with the dagger sticking out from her gut. Blood drips down her hands as she clutches the dagger and drips to the floor.  
“I…I had to. You were going to kill Abbie.” I stutter in defense.  
“Ah yes. Abbie. You killed me so that you could be with her. It was always about Abbie. Even now, your thoughts are on her. Do I mean so little to you?”  
I start to answer, but as quick as the vision came, it goes just as quickly and I’m back in the kitchen alone.  
What was that, I think. Was that real? No, it couldn’t have been. Katrina’s dead. No, I’m simply feeling guilty about my feelings for Abbie. My brain concocted that because I feel guilty for moving on from Katrina. That’s all it is. Right?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I’m still thinking about the vision as Abbie and I sit in the waiting room of the therapist’s office.  
“Crane? You okay?” Abbie asks.  
“Of course. I’m fine. How was your kickboxing session with Miss Jenny?”  
“Uh…not nearly enough for all the…energy I have lately.” She replies.  
“Perhaps we should have a round of yoga.” I suggest.  
Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything more torturous than yoga with Abbie with my feelings so…strong. But it might help her relieve some of the energy she’s gained from, no doubt, coming into her powers.  
“Uh…yeah sure that might…help.” Abbie says.  
“That didn’t sound so convincing.” I say, teasingly.  
“Well, I’m pretty sure one thing will help calm my excessive energy and it’s not yoga.” Abbie says.  
“And what’s that?”  
“…Rum…rum will help along with a hot bubble bath.”  
“And a foot rub to go with it?” I ask.  
“Well of course that would just be the cherry on top.” Abbie says.  
“Noted.” I say.  
“I’m glad you’re taking notes. You did say you were going to spoil me.”  
“And I meant every word of it.” I say with a smile.  
Abbie laughs and we fall into silence again until I break it.  
“You know what’s strange?” I ask.  
“What’s that?”  
“We haven’t heard anything from Agent Cals. She hasn’t been seen at the Archives in weeks. Why would she abandon her post?”  
“Where did that come from?” Abbie asks.  
“I just thought about it. We should have heard something from her, right?”  
“Well, maybe she knew we were on to her and she just left.” Abbie says.  
“I think we should investigate. Don’t you?”  
Abbie starts to answer but Dr. Kelly calls her name.  
Abbie gives me a smile then heads into Dr. Kelly’s office.  
Even though there’s so many important things to focus on, like where Agent Cals is, my mind eventually drifts back to my vision in the kitchen. What does it mean? Why, after all this time, would such a vivid thought of Katrina come about? Was the vision meant to tell me something? I make a mental note to try and find out more about it.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
Dr. Kelly’s talking about how she’s proud of me for being so open. I haven’t told her about the kiss Crane and I shared, but I have been talking about Grace, referring to her just as family, and how I’m happy she’s here. As Dr. Kelly continues to rant about how much progress I’ve made, my mind keeps going back to Crane. He suggested doing yoga to tame my energy, but yoga with him would have the opposite effect in my current state. But then again, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I couldn’t think of a better way to “accidentally” fall on top of him.  
“Abbie, are you even listening to me?” Dr. Kelly asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.  
I look up at her. “Crane and I kissed…a few weeks ago.” I blurt.  
Dr. Kelly gives me a startled look. “And how does that make you feel?”  
Horny, I think.  
Instead of being blunt, though, I try to articulate my words. “I feel…like a hormonal teenager.”  
“So, I take it, that means you enjoyed the kiss. Did he initiate it?”  
“No…I did.”  
“Oh? And what happened to not wanting to “screw up a friendship”?”  
“I…I don’t know what happened? It was just a random thing. We were talking, and sitting very close, and then I kissed him.”  
“Well, have you two talked about it? What are you going to do next?”  
“No, we haven’t talked about it, but it’s like…like we don’t need to. There’s no awkwardness to it. Similar to the first time we kissed, only he kissed me that time. We didn’t talk about it; there was no need to. Only now, I want…”  
“What want?”  
“I…”  
“What? What do you want Abbie? Say it.” Dr. Kelly says.  
“I want Crane.”  
“Then maybe now, you two need to talk.”  
I groan.  
“What’s the harm? You know that Crane has feelings for you. When it comes down to it, the only question is, do you have feelings for him? And I believe you just answered that.”  
“It’s just…we have so much on our plate right now. It just wouldn’t be right to…indulge in that right now.”  
“Abbie, from our previous meetings, I’ve gathered that you are a very selfless person.” Dr. Kelly says.  
“So?”  
“So, be selfish.”  
But I am being selfish. Lilith’s near walking the Earth because I had to be selfish.  
“It’s all about time management. When you clock into work today, do your work. But when you clock out, clock out. Don’t let the work follow you home.”  
That’s so much easier said than done when my “work” are supernatural creatures who know where I live.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane and I arrive at the cabin the same time Jenny does.  
“Hey, how was your session?” She asks.  
“Insightful.” I answer.  
I don’t miss the glance that Crane and Jenny share as we go into the cabin. We stop just short of entering, upon seeing Macy, Irving’s daughter.  
“Macy, you’re—” I start.  
“Walking…” Jenny finishes.  
Macy turns around. “Oh, hi.” She says and hugs each of us.  
“Yeah, there’s a magical…charm…at the base of my spine, courteously of dad.” Macy says.  
“Huh.” I say.  
“Though I was at terms with my condition before.” She mutters.  
“So, what are you doing here? I thought you were in college.” Jenny asks, not having heard her.  
“Oh, I am. Home for Thanksgiving break So, I thought I’d help out.”  
“Well, we could use all the help we can get.” Crane says with a head bow to her.  
Macy smiles, before returning to the table she and Molly share.  
Jenny joins Grace at the table in the corner.  
“Crane, later this evening, I think we should talk.” I whisper to him.  
“Of course.” He replies.  
Without further comment, we get to work, doing so in silence. Jake is the first one to break it.  
“Isn’t it strange?” He asks.  
“What’s that, Master Jake?” Crane asks.  
“That we haven’t heard anything more from Monica. I forgot to bring it up, but—”  
“She hasn’t been seen in the Archives in weeks, yes, I was informed earlier. The Lieutenant and I were talking about that earlier. We should actually leave now.” Crane says.  
“Do you need backup?” Diana says.  
“No, we’re good.” I say.  
Crane and I head out, just as quickly as we headed in.  
“What did you want to talk about Lieutenant?” Crane asks, once we’re in the car.  
“Hm?” I ask.  
“You mentioned we should talk back at the cabin. I assumed you wanted to wait until we were alone, by waiting until this evening, but if you’d rather talk now…”  
“Oh. That. It…it can wait until tonight. Do you know Monica’s address?”  
I’d rather not give it away that I already know it. Plus, I’ve already deleted it from my phone.  
“Ah, yes. Here it is.” Crane says and puts it in the GPS.  
As I drive, my mind keeps drifting to what Dr. Kelly said about being selfish. I want to tell Crane how I feel but I have to tell him about my involvement with Lilith first. We’ve always been honest with each other, and if we were to engage in a relationship, I couldn’t enter it lying to him. Which also means I need to tell him how Monic died. God, this is just one cluster fuck of a mess. I pull up to Monica’s apartment complex all too soon.  
Once we’ve made our way up the stairs to her apartment, we see that the door is cracked open. Crane and I exchange glances before hesitantly entering. We find Monica where I left her on the floor, only her body has started the decomposing phase. Crane starts to squat beside Monica’s body but before he can, someone comes out and tackles him, knocking him to the side. Before the person can do much more, I throw my hand up and lift the person off Crane before tossing them aside.  
“Are you okay?” I ask as I help Crane up.  
“Fine.”  
“Wait, Crane, Mills? What are you two doing here?”  
Apparently, the person I threw across the room was Agent Foster.  
“What are you doing here? And why’d you jump Crane?”  
“I got a call about a weird smell coming from this apartment; Reynolds and I monitor all things weird at the agency. I thought you two might be people coming back to clean out her apartment, but I should have known it was Crane. No one else dresses like that. Now you two. What are you doing here? Surely you have bigger problems.”  
“Ms. Cals here was one of our agents in the Archives. She was also Lilith’s spy at the Archives. She hasn’t been seen for weeks, after stealing something very valuable from us, so we thought we should investigate.” Crane says.  
“Well, this knocks something off your list.” Foster says.  
“There may be other spies in our agencies.” I say.  
“Not to mention, this doesn’t make sense.” Crane says.  
“Why not?” Foster asks.  
“She’d just given Lilith the most important thing she can have right now and then Lilith kills her?”  
Foster shrugs. “She clearly served her purpose, it’s not that weird. What is this thing that she stole from you guys anyway? And while we’re on the subject of weird, how the hell did you toss me across the room like that?”  
“Oh, uh, quick recap. You remember Grace?” I ask.  
“Your ancestor, yeah.”  
“Right, well due to my…unnatural death, Grace was somehow teleported to the present time as a way to set things right.”  
“Okay…”  
“Well, we also found out that Jenny and I have ancestors who help defeat Lilith before and for us to do the same, we had to come into our powers, which Grace helped us do, so that we could perform the spell. A spell that was in our grimoire that Lilith now has.”  
“So…you and Jenny are witches now…”  
“Now the goal is to keep Lilith away from Miss Jenny and the Lieutenant because if she manages to capture them, she’ll use their powers and that her coven to walk the Earth.” Crane says.  
“Like the Hidden One.” Foster says.  
“No. She makes the Hidden One look like child play. As a matter of fact, she owned the Hidden One.” I say.  
“So, what do we do about her?” Foster asks, nodding to Monica.  
“Well, she was merely human.” Crane says.  
“Yeah, you can say it was case of B&E gone wrong.” I add.  
“Mm. Kinda hard to spin. Nothing’s missing.”  
“They had a struggle, assailant killed her, freaked, then left.” I say, with a twinge of guilt.  
“Okay. You guys should go before more of my guys show up. This isn’t a HS case and they don’t need to think otherwise.” Foster says.  
As we leave, Foster stops us.  
“Oh, did you have any other suspects in regards to your spy? I can run their name through the database.”  
“David Espinosa.” Crane says without hesitation.  
“I’ll check him out.” Foster says.  
“Are you still considering David as a suspect because you’re really suspicious of him or because you’re still jealous? Because you don’t—” I say as we head back to the car.  
“It’s not jealousy, Lieutenant. There is something off about him. Miss Lara even said so herself after finding that his record came back too clean. I had this feeling about Orion and I wasn’t wrong about him either.”  
“Okay. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.” I say as he gets into the driver seat.  
My phone rings as I slide into the passenger seat.  
“Mills.” I say.  
“Hey, I think we found something.” Irving says from the other line.  
“What’s up?” I say and put him on speaker phone.  
“So, the last three people, Sasha Homes, Dean Mission, and Kelly Nether, appear to each be under some kind of hiding spell, which is why we haven’t been able to find them.”  
“That makes sense. Can we get around that?” I ask.  
“That’s the thing: we have. Grace and Jenny have found a spell in your mother’s journal that may help uncover where they are hiding. All we need is you.”  
“Okay, we’re on our way. We should be there in thirty minutes.” I say.  
“If we can get to them first, we can protect them from Lilith.” Crane says when I hang up.  
“True, but…”  
“But what?” Crane asks.  
“They clearly don’t want to be found, so would it be so bad to leave them in hiding?”  
“If Lilith weren’t looking for them, perhaps it would be best to leave them be, but as it were…I think we should at least inform them that they’re being hunted.” Crane says.  
I nod. “About Lilith…”  
“What about her?”  
I sigh. “There’s something that I have to tell you, that I have to tell all of you.” I start.  
“What is it” Crane asks.  
Before I can even form the words to tell him the truth, my other version begins to harass me.  
You aren’t thinking of saying things you shouldn’t, now are you? She hisses.  
Leave me alone. I shoot back.  
“Lieutenant?” Crane asks.  
“Uh…”  
You know, I think you should stop talking. She hisses again.  
Pain shoots across my skull and the last thing I hear is Crane calling my name again before I pass out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I come to on the couch back at the cabin with everyone surrounded around me. I groan and try to sit up with help from Crane.  
“Are you okay Lieutenant?” He asks me.  
“What happened?” Jenny asks.  
“Let’s give her a moment to fully come to.” Grace says, which I’m grateful for.  
When I’m settled enough, I nod.  
“I don’t know what happened exactly. One minuet I was fine, and the next…I don’t know.” I say, which is a half-truth. I don’t know how the other version has the power to put me out like that. She’s always caused a bit of pain, but not enough to make me pass out.  
“Do you think it’s…her?” Diana asks me.  
Grace looks at her. “Her who?”  
“The Lieutenant has an…other version of herself residing in her. This version doesn’t have the same…morals as the Lieutenant. Miss Lara was able to perform a spell to block her out. Has she shown signs that the spell may be weakening?” Crane says.  
I nod. “I think so.”  
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Jenny asks.  
“We have so many other things on our plate; I just couldn’t seem to find the time.” I say.  
“Before you became unconscious, you were about to tell me something. Perhaps it’s something she doesn’t want us to know.” Crane says.  
“Do you remember what it was that you were going to say, Abbie?” Lara asks.  
I contemplate lying and saying I don’t remember. But I owe them the truth. Before I can answer, though, Grace speaks.  
“Before you do, perhaps I can offer a better remedy for your Hyde side. Lara, I’m sure you did a perfect job with whatever spell you performed, but the thing of it is, you can’t block her out, because she is a part of Abigail.”  
“Yeah, she pretty much said as much.” Lara says.  
“If you can’t block her, what are you gonna do?” I ask.  
“I’m going to paralyze her. She’ll still be within you, but she’ll be weakened to the point that she won’t be able to do much.”  
“Will this hurt the Lieutenant?” Crane asks.  
“She may have a feeling of loss, but because this version is still there, it shouldn’t have that much of an effect and there won’t be anything holding this version back, so she has nothing to break. It’ll be like she’s sleep.”  
I nod.  
Grace puts two fingers on each side of my head before muttering an incantation. I groan and scrunch up my face as she continues.  
When Grace is done, she steps back. I do feel a loss but I also don’t feel the weight of her crushing down on my skull.  
“Abbie?” Jenny asks.  
“I’m fine.” I say.  
“So what was it that you were gonna tell Crane?” Diana asks.  
I start to tell them the truth, the whole truth, but as I stare up at all the waiting faces, the truth gets stuck in my throat. How will they react if I tell them? They’ll be mad, but there will also be mistrust. The fear of losing everyone’s trust, of losing Crane’s trust, keeps me from telling them about the deal I made with Lilith. That and I don’t know if Lilith somehow has someone listening or watching, despite our wards up. What if she crushes Jenny and Crane’s sanities right in front of me, right here?  
“Abbie?” Jenny says.  
“Uh…the other version of me would talk a lot, almost like she was gloating.” I start.  
If I can’t tell them the whole truth, I’ll tell them a half one.  
“She kept saying something about Crane. She said…she said that Lilith owns your soul, not Lucifer.”  
The room is deadly silent.  
“That’s…that’s not right. I was there when Crane made the deal…with Lucifer.” Lara says.  
“Wait, Crane you did what?” Irving says.  
“I had to. We needed a stone to defeat evil and Lucifer had it.”  
“Well, Lilith and Lucifer are best pals. She asked for his soul, and he gave it to her. Crane if you die, Lilith owns you.” I say.  
“Well, then there’s only one thing to do: we must find the last three witches and make sure Lilith doesn’t get her hands on them. We then need to get our grimoire back so we can perform the spell to send her back to whatever deaths she crawled out from.” Grace says.  
“What about Crane’s soul?” Diana asks.  
“Lucifer gave Lilith his soul. She now owns it. But, if she were to be taken out of the equation, his soul wouldn’t revert back to Lucifer, but rather back to Ichabod. The loophole of the deal. Because Lucifer gave up his rights to the soul, it will have nowhere to go but back to its original owner.”  
“Then let’s get to work. What’s this spell that’s supposed to help us find the witches?” I ask.  
“Yes, the Discovery spell. These last witches are clearly under a hiding spell, and the Discovery spell should allow us to find nearly anything. All symbols have already been drawn, with the help of Jake and Alex. We merely need to perform the spell.” Grace says.  
“Here’s hoping it’ll help us find them.” Jake says.  
After sitting in a circle around a map like Grace instructs, Jenny and I begin to repeat after her. As we do so, Grace pours some type of concoction over the map. The liquid follows different paths on the map, before stopping in three different locations: Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.  
“You’re telling me they’ve been this close all this time?” Jake says.  
“This close? We still don’t have addresses, just very large cities. Not to mention, we don’t know who is in which city.” Alex says.  
“It’s a start.” Diana says.  
“And we do know who’s in what city. Dean Mission is somewhere in Boston, Kelly Nether is in Philadelphia, Sasha Homes is in New York. The spell is more than just a city locator. It locates whatever it is you seek.” Grace says.  
“We should split up,” Lara says. “Diana, Jake, Alex, and I will take New York.”  
“Cynthia, Macy, Molly, and I will take Boston.” Irving says.  
“We’ll meet back here after we’ve found them.” Crane says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The ride to Philly is pretty silent. It’s only when we get to town that Jenny breaks it.  
“So, where do we start looking?” She asks Grace.  
“Now that we’re here in the city, the spell should continue to guide us to Kelly. I’ve given the spell to Diana as well as the Irvings. We should have the witches within nightfall.” Grace answers.  
She then pulls out the map.  
“Okay, it looks like Ms. Nether is currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.” Grace says.  
“Address?” Crane asks.  
“I know where it’s at. We’re actually not far.” Jenny says.  
I look at her.  
“What? Traveling for Corbin, remember.”  
“Ah, right.” I say.  
Once we pull up to the museum, we split up to better our chances of finding her in the large crowd.  
“Are we heading in the right direction?” Crane asks.  
“Thanks to the continuing locator spell, I should know her when I see her.” I answer him.  
“How are you feeling with that much…energy in you?”  
“Stable, if that’s what you mean.”  
“I didn’t mean it like—”  
“I know how you meant it. Trust me Crane, you’ll be the first to know if I can’t handle my powers. But I’m fine.” I say and smile up at him.  
Crane smiles back. “You’re very important to me, Lieutenant. I just want to make sure your powers aren’t overbearing you. Sometimes I think that’s why…”  
He doesn’t have to finish. I know he means Katrina. He thinks her powers and the lure of being with Henry drove her to the dark side. He doesn’t realize Katrina never really loved him and was probably headed down that road sooner or later.  
“Crane, honestly, you don’t have to worry about me. As long as I have you, I will never lose my way. You’re my light.” I tell him.  
His smile widens. “Lieutenant, you’re my…everything.”  
As we stare at each other, Crane leans in a bit. Movement catches my eye behind him and I see Kelly Nether. I pull away from him.  
“Crane, it’s her.” I say.  
Crane pulls back and looks behind him.  
“Let’s go.” I say.  
We follow Kelly around the museum before finally catching her simi by herself, staring at an artifact. When the few people standing near her move on, Crane and I slowly approach her.  
“I warn you, I’m more dangerous that you know. Step off.” She says.  
“We just want to talk.” Crane says.  
“So talk.” Kelly says, turning to face us.  
“Perhaps we should go somewhere more private.” Crane suggest.  
“Maybe you should tell me who you are.” Kelly says as she raises a hand slightly. A ball of energy manifests from it.  
“You have your powers.” I say.  
“What do you want?” Kelly says.  
“Okay, okay. My name is Abbie Mills, this is my partner Ichabod Crane. We’ve been looking for you for a while now.”  
“That’s not really helping your case.”  
“We’ve been looking for you so that we could warn you. Lilith is also looking for you.” I say.  
“Lilith?” She asks.  
“Yes. She’s evil reincarnated. She wants to use your powers to help bring her back to Earth.” Crane says.  
“It’s time.” Kelly mutters.  
“What do you mean, it’s time?” Crane asks.  
“I know the stories of my ancestor. How she tried to help Lilith. My family, ever since then, has gone into hiding. But if you found me, Lilith won’t be far behind.”  
“We can help you though.” Crane says.  
“How?”  
“We can help hide you away, where Lilith will never find you. With our combined powers, no matter how hard Lilith tries, she won’t succeed.” I say.  
“Our powers?” Kelly asks.  
“I’m like you as well.” I say and mimic her gesture, creating my own ball of energy.  
Kelly nods. “Hm. Okay.”  
“Okay?” Crane asks.  
“Okay, I’ll go with you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Macy’s POV  
Molly and I spilt up from my mom and dad at the hotel in Boston to look for Dean Mission. So far, we haven’t found him, but according to the locator spell, he’s close.  
“Macy, can I ask you something?” Molly says.  
“Yeah, what’s up?”  
“Why are you still in this business” She asks.  
“What do you mean?” I ask.  
“I know about what happened with you…and that demon. Wasn’t that scary?”  
“Well sure, but I guess you could say that’s what made me stay in the business. There are people out there who need protecting from monsters just like that. I never want anyone to feel how I felt when I was possessed. So, I keep fighting.”  
Molly nods.  
“I heard…about what happened with you and Lilith.” I say.  
“Yeah, compared to your experience, it was nothing.”  
“No, it’s not nothing. Lilith is a powerful demoness. A hell of a lot more powerful than the demon that possessed me. And yet, you survived that. Take that victory. Let that motivate you to keep fighting.”  
“But what if I just want a normal teen life?” Molly asks.  
“Molly…you’re not normal. You won’t ever be normal. You can hand the reigns to someone else for now, but ultimately, you can’t run from the responsibilities.”  
Molly begins to say more, but Dean catches my eye.  
“Hey, there he is.” I say.  
“Come on.”  
We follow Dean up to his room.  
“Mr. Mission.” Molly calls out from the other end of the hallway.  
“Do I know you two?” He asks as he turns to look at us.  
“No. But we have news for you of the upmost importance.” Molly says.  
“And what’s that?” He asks.  
Molly and I trade glances.  
“Well…it’s a bit weird.” I say.  
“What is it? And who are you two?” Dean asks.  
“You’re in danger Mr. Mission. Lilith’s after you.” I say.  
Dean starts at us for a minute before he finally speaks.  
“Who are you two?” He asks.  
“We’re part of a secret agency designed to monitor and take care of the odd things that go bump in the night.” Molly says. “Lilith got on our radar and we now know you’re on hers. She wants—”  
“To use me to return her to Earth, yes I know.”  
Molly and I look at each other again.  
“How do you know?” I ask.  
“My family history has been shared down through the generations. How much do you know about Lilith’s intel? Does she know I’ve already come into my powers?”  
“You have?” I ask.  
“Yes, when I was sixteen. Does she know?”  
“We don’t know. But if you come with us, we can help hide you. We have witches that will make sure Lilith never finds you.” I say.  
He nods. “Take me to them.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Diana’s POV  
We found Sasha Homes in a coffee shop in New York City. From the moment we got in the coffee shop, we’ve been debating about how to approach her. Our conversations are cut off when Sasha comes and sits at our table.  
“You guys know I can hear you right? What do you want from me?” Sasha asks.  
We all look around at each other.  
“Right, I guess you didn’t hear me. What do you want?” Sasha asks again, this time with a ball of energy in her hand.  
“You have magic?” Jake asks.  
“Who are you all?” Sasha asks. “I won’t ask again.”  
“Okay, Lilith, an evil demon goddess, is coming for you so she can use your magic to get back to Earth.” Lara says.  
“What?” Sasha says and puts her hand down.  
“I know it’s crazy but—” Alex starts.  
“No it’s not. I…how do you know?”  
“We’ve been watching Lilith for a while now, and we know she’s trying to find you, along with two other people so that she can complete her coven.” Alex says.  
“What do I need to do to prevent that from happening?  
“Come with us. We can help you.” I say.  
“Where would you take me?”  
“We have a safe house that we can use to hide you until our witches can magically shield you from Lilith forever.” I say.  
“What are we waiting for, let’s go.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
We’re all back at the cabin with the last three witches that Lilith needs.  
“How is it possible that you all already have your powers?” Crane asks.  
“I just came into mine.” Kelly says.  
Dean and Sasha also say the same.  
“So how can you keep us from Lilith?” Dean asks.  
“My family line was the strongest of witches in Lilith’s coven. We’ll be able to hide you and not even Lilith’s powers will be able to find you. Especially since she isn’t at her full power range.” Grace says.  
“And you’re sure it’ll work?” Sasha asks.  
“Yes, you can go anywhere in the world and Lilith won’t be able to get to you. Are you ready?” Grace says.  
They nod.  
Grace turns to me and Jenny. “Are you ready?”  
We nod.  
Grace begins the chant and Jenny and I follow suit. As we chant, Sasha, Dean, and Kelly kind of seizes up. We keep chanting. By the time we’re done, the group is either on the ground or bending over their knees.  
“Are you okay?” Jake asks.  
Slowly, they nod.  
“That was intense.” Sasha says.  
“How do you feel?” Alex asks.  
“Like there’s a shield around me.” Kelly says.  
“Kinda like Harry Potter’s invisible cloak.” Dean says.  
Molly and Macy chuckle.  
“So, we’re free to go anywhere without worry now?” Kelly asks.  
“Once you leave this cabin, she nor anyone in this room, will be able to find you if you don’t want them to.” Grace answers.  
“So, we can go now?” Dean asks.  
“Yes.” Grace says.  
“Is there somewhere we can take you all?” Irving asks.  
“The airport?” Dean suggest.  
“Alright, we’ll take them.” Irving says.  
“Thank you all.” Sasha says.  
Dean and Kelly echo her thanks.  
“We’ll meet you outside.” Dean says.  
As they make their way to the door, Sasha turns around.  
“And Happy Thanksgivings to you all. We’re most grateful.”  
“It is Thanksgiving Eve eve, isn’t it?” Jake says.  
“The days are blending together.” Diana says.  
“Is that why I’m so tired?” Lara adds.  
“I think we all deserve a break. Perhaps we should head home.” Crane says.  
Everyone agrees.  
“Well, before we all leave, I think we should name something we’re thankful for. I’ll start. I’m thankful for finding my family healthy and well.” Grace says.  
“I’m thankful for being reminding as to why I do this.” Molly says, with a glance to Macy.  
Diana smiles at her. “I’m thankful for the role I play in this team.”  
“I’m thankful that we’re head of Lilith.” Jake says.  
“Mm, I echo that.” Alex says.  
“I’m thankful we’re all here.” Irving says.  
“I’m thankful we’re all safe.” Cynthia says.  
“I’m thankful for this team.” Lara says.  
"I'm thankful for being able to continue the fight." Macy says.  
“I’m thankful for my family.” Jenny says.  
“I’m thankful to be back with my family.” I say, with a twinge of guilt.  
“There was a time that I hated this time of year. I felt so lonely with no family. Only now, as I look around this room, I see that I couldn’t have asked for a better family. I am thankful for this team, for the work we do, and for this family.” Crane says.  
“Amen to that.” Jenny says.  
We all laugh.  
“For family.” I say.  
“For family.” The team repeats.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Is it just me, or do you feel incredibly good for getting over on Lilith?” Abbie asks as we step out of the elevator into the apartment.  
“It does feel good. All we need now is to get the grimoire back so that we can perform the spell.”  
“I think we deserve a beer.” Abbie says.  
“I think this calls for something a bit more festive. Like rum.” I say as I reach the cabinet and pull out two glasses and a bottle of rum.  
“I’ll take it.” Abbie says with a small laugh.  
I hand Abbie hers as I sit on the sofa with her.  
“You know, we still have a possible spy at our agency while we’re celebrating.” I say.  
“Agent Foster hasn’t called yet with any information about David. We stopped Lilith from getting the final three witches, outside of Jenny and me. That’s a win we should take.” Abbie says and holds up her glass.  
I clink mine off hers. “You’re right.”  
“Of course I am.”  
I chuckle.  
Abbie and I sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before she breaks it.  
“Did you mean what you said back at the museum Crane?”  
I look at her.  
Abbie sets her glass on the platter on the ottoman. “You said I was your everything. Did you mean that?”  
I set my glass down beside hers. “Yes. Life without you has been constant pain. In death, you were my reason for continuing on; in life, you’re my reason for fighting to remain here.” I say.  
“What if you end up feeling different later on? Crane, I’ve done things—”  
“You can not blame yourself for the things the other version made you do. I will never judge you for that, nor will my feelings towards you ever change.”  
Abbie sighs then nods.  
“Perhaps it’s time we retire.” I suggest.  
“I think you’re right.” Abbie says right before she leans in and kisses me.  
I want to give into it, but I know I shouldn’t so I pull back. “Abbie—”  
I’m cut off by Abbie kissing me again. I groan as I pull back again, this time holding her back by the shoulders.  
“Abbie—”  
“I want you Crane. Do you want me?”  
My heart stutters. “What?”  
“I…I want you. We’ve just prevented Lilith from getting a big victory. She’s bound to retaliate in the next few days. But whatever happens, I want you to know how I feel. I don’t want to keep a platonic relationship anymore. If these are my last few days, I want you to know that I want your kisses, I want your love, I want you. Crane I—”  
This time I cut her off with a kiss. I groan and grip her hips as her tongue slides into my mouth. I pull away from Abbie to lift her shirt over her head. We’re both breathing hard as we stare at each other.  
“Abbie, do you really want this? I can wait—”  
“I think we’ve waited long enough.” She says and grips the end of my shirt, pulling it over my head.  
“I just—”  
“Crane, stop talking.” Abbie says and brings her lips back to mine.  
Not wanting to hold back anymore, I grip her hips again and stand, and without breaking the kiss, take us to my bedroom.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
Crane lays me down on the bed and begins to stand but I follow him up so that I’m kneeling on the bed as he stands over me. I reach back and unclasp my bra, pull the straps down my arms, and toss the bra to the floor. I smile as I hear Crane swallow.  
“Abbie…”  
Crane doesn’t finish. Instead, he pulls me back in for a kiss. We both crash into the bed from the force of it. Crane breaks the kiss again, this time to kiss down my neck to my chest. I gasp as Crane circles my nipple with his tongue before taking it into his mouth. My gasp turns into a moan as Crane shows my other breast the same treatment.  
Crane leaves a trail of kisses down my stomach as he reaches my jeans. He unbuttons them and I lift my hips so that he can get them off. Crane steps back to admire me once I’m bare.  
“Abbie, you’re stunning.”  
“And you are still wearing to many clothes.” I say with a smile.  
My smile turns to a confused frown when Crane kneels at the edge of the bed.  
“Do you trust me?” He asks.  
“Yes.” I answer without hesitation.  
Crane grips my legs and tugs me towards the edge of the bed. He then begins kissing up my leg.  
My breathing grows heavier and heavier to the point that I’m on the verge of panting as Crane reaches his destination. I gasp as Crane presses a closed mouth kiss to my most intimate part.  
That gasp turns into a whimper when his tongue pushes through my folds.  
“Oh God.” I moan.  
I jerk when he licks from my sex to my clit, before taking it into his mouth.  
“Crane…” I whimper.  
One of my hands tangles in his hair as my other clutches the sheets as I lift my hips and shamelessly rock against Crane’s mouth.  
“Crane…I…You…”  
I don’t manage to get out much as my orgasm kicks through me. Just a loud, kinda embarrassing, moan.  
Crane lifts his head and licks his lips.  
“You taste of honeysuckle.” Crane says.  
I bit my lip and groan.  
Crane stands and finally relieves himself of his pants.  
“Oh…” I breathe and scoot back on the bed.  
Crane’s penis juts out at least eight inches from him.  
Crane prowls his way up my body and settles himself between my thighs. I kiss him as he positions himself at my opening and gently pushes in. I gasp into the kiss.  
Crane pulls away. “Do you want me to stop?”  
“God, no.” I say, hooking my leg around his waist and pulling him deeper into me.  
We both groan.  
Crane’s lips find mine as he begins to rock against me. I lift my hips, allowing Crane to go deeper.  
“Abbie.” Crane moans.  
I groan again. The way he said my name has me even hotter all over. I shift and roll so that I’m on top.  
“Say it again. Say my name.” I breathe as I rock forward.  
Crane grabs my hips and leans up as my movements become faster.  
“Abbie.” He whispers against my lips  
I moan.  
“Abbie..I…” Crane groans.  
“Oh God!” I groan as I feel Crane releases, which triggers my own.  
I fall back to the bed.  
“Holy…” Crane says.  
“Shit.” I finish.  
The room is filled with our heavy panting.  
I look over at Crane to find him looking at me. He leans over and gently kisses me on my damp forehead.  
He then pushes a lock of my hair behind my ear.  
Nothing needs to be said and we just lay here awhile, staring at each other.  
After some time, I lean over and kiss Crane again. He keeps it innocent but I’m the one to deepen it. Crane groans from the intensity of it and I roll so that I’m on top of him.  
“Ready for round two?” I ask and trail my hand down to grip him.  
Crane groans, leans up, and kisses me again, rolling us so I’m under him and pushes my hands over my head, holding them there. I smile into the kiss as I feel him positioning himself at my entrance.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene Change  
“How was your visit Katrina?” Lilith asks.  
“Very entertaining. You know, I do believe that Ichabod and Abbie are finally getting over their ‘will they, won’t they’ relationship.” Katrina answers.  
“And how does that make you feel?” Lilith asks.  
“Like maybe I should up the ante with my visits.” Katrina says with a smirk  
“Indeed. It won’t be long now before you can reveal yourself to him. That should really shake up their relationship. How’s everything else going?”  
“We still can’t find the last three witches.” Katrina tells Lilith.  
“You don’t need to anymore.” Lilith says.  
Katrina gives Lilith a questioning look but before she can ask her what she means, someone knocks on the door.  
“Do get the door Katrina.” Lilith says.  
Katrina opens the door to find Sasha Homes, Dean Mission, and Kelly Nether standing there.  
“Can I help you?” Katrina asks.  
“Katrina, you don’t recognize your brother and sisters of the coven?” Lilith says.  
Katrina looks at Lilith then back at the people at the door. She then steps back and lets them in  
“What took you so long?” Lilith asks.  
“We had to act shocked for the Witnesses. And it took a while for us to find our way to you once their disciple dropped us off at the airport.” Kelly says.  
“And how did you find Team Witness to be?”  
“Bluntly, stupid.” Sasha says.  
“Too hopeful.” Dean adds.  
“Yes, they tend to see the best in people even when they shouldn’t.” Henry says.  
“Well, now that we have the eleven members, we can go after the Mills sisters.” Orion says.  
“Not just yet. First, we have to finish the ritual for my horsemen. And now that Sasha, Dean, and Kelly are here, we can begin.”  
Lilith and her team move into the next room, where she’s set up everything for the ritual. Lilith and her coven then crowds in a circle around the two men.  
“Orion, kneel.” Lilith says.  
Orion kneels and the coven begins to chant. Lilith ends the chant with,  
“Orion, I name you the Horseman of Famine. Arise.”  
Lilith turns to the other man. “Kneel.”  
He does so and the coven begins to chant. Lilith ends the chant with,  
“I name you the Horseman of Pestilence. Arise David.”  
End of Episode Seven


	8. Midseason Finale: Episode Eight: Where it All Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie and Crane try to take time to understand what the new stage of their relationship means. The team continues searching for the spy and Lilith, but they run into a complication when Lilith strikes unexpectedly and kidnaps Abbie. The team then works to get Abbie back, while trying to keep Jenny safe. Crane learns several new things.

Episode 8: Where It All Comes Crashing Down

“Is everything in the lab set up?” Lilith asks.  
“Yes Mistress. All we really need are the Mills sisters.” Henry says.  
“Shall I grab them?” Katrina asks.  
“No. David will grab Abbie. Jenny will be delivered to us when she and the team comes after Abbie. I have another job for you.” Lilith says.  
“What about us?” Alexandra asks, referencing herself and the rest of the coven.  
“I’ll need you all to wake my babies. Someone has to be out there with the horsemen. Speaking of, Abraham, come.”  
Headless follows Lilith to the next room.  
“Katrina and I have been working on a little gift for you.”  
Lilith gently picks up a skull and presents it to Headless.  
Headless is motionless for a few seconds before hesitantly taking it from her. He then sets it atop his spine. Headless’s body begins to twitch and convulse.  
“Well, how do you feel?” Lilith asks, when he stops twisting.  
“Complete.” Abraham answers.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
I wake before Abbie. I’m immediately caught in the web of her beauty. Her curls caress her cheek and her face is at peace. She’s truly stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for my eidetic memory than I am now.  
“Would you like to take a picture?” Abbie mutters, with her eyes still close.  
“It still wouldn’t quite capture the essence of your beauty.”  
Abbie smiles before opening her lovely brown eyes. She stretches her arms over her head and lets out a contented sigh.  
“Good morning.” She says.  
“Good morning. How are you feeling this morning?” I ask and entwine our fingers before placing a kiss to her fingers.  
“I am thoroughly satisfied. What about you?”  
“Oh, I completely concur.”  
“I am a bit shocked, though.” Abbie says.  
“Oh?”  
“Yes. Who knew the gentlemanly Mr. Crane had such a wicked tongue?” Abbe says with a smile.  
I smile back. “Well, Miss Mills, might I add, I’m completely in awe of you.”  
“Oh?” She says, in mock surprise.  
“Yes. I must say, I was rather impressed with your riding skills. We really must go horse riding one day.”  
Abbie laughs and I feel it all the way to my groin. I try not to let it show.  
“In all candor, do you have any regrets about last night?” I ask her.  
“None. You?” She answers immediately.  
“Not at all.” I say without hesitation.  
“Well, I do have one.” Abbie says.  
“What’s that?” I ask with a bit of fright.  
“Why the hell did we wait so long to do that?”  
We both laugh and my fear is immediately snuffed out.  
“I agree.” I say.  
“In fact, I think we should start every morning like last night. What say you?” Abbie says, as her hand slowly makes it way down the covers.  
Before she can reach her mark, I grab her hand and bring it up. I kiss her knuckles.  
“I’d love nothing more than to spend the entire day here with you, but we have responsibilities that require us to get out bed and put clothes on.”  
Abbie groans and I laugh. I also have a realization: I’m in love. I knew I loved Abbie before, but now it feels intensified by one million. I’m completely, hopelessly in love with Abbie.  
“Abbie, I…” I begin to tell her I love her, but it gets stuck in my throat.  
Abbie might be playful and open now, but I’d only scare her if I were to drop that word on her now. I don’t know what made her change tunes about our relationship, outside of it having something to do with fearing Lilith’s wrath, but I want to give her time to become accustomed to our new relationship. Honestly, I need time as well. Though my feelings for Abbie are indeed strong, my last intimate relationship…went poorly to say the least. One might say I have trust issues after…Katrina. I think we both need to ease into this new stage.  
“What?” Abbie says, bringing me out of my thoughts.  
“I…think we should take a shower. Uh…you should take a shower. That is…if you wanted to go first, I’m fine with that.” I stutter.  
Oh geez, after everything that happened last night, now I’m embarrassed?  
“Crane.”  
“Yes?”  
“Stop.”  
“Right.”  
“I’m gonna go hope in the shower.” Abbie says, with a laugh.  
Abbie gets out of bed, in all her naked glory, and heads for the door.  
“Oh, but Crane.”  
I look up at her.  
“I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to join me.” Abbie says, and with that, leaves the room.  
I’m ever tempted but as I hear the bathroom door close, I also hear the elevator ding.  
“Hello? Anybody up?” I hear Miss Jenny call out.  
I quickly grab my robe and exit my room.  
“Good morning, Miss Jenny.”  
“Hey. I can’t believe you’re not up; it’s nearly ten in the morning.” She says.  
“Is it? The events of the pass few months must really be taking a toll on me this morning.”  
“Hm. Where’s Abbie?”  
“Your sister is in the shower. Is something wrong?”  
“Well, we’re all at the cabin and no one could get a hold of either of you, so I came over to see what’s wrong.”  
“Ah. Well it appears we’ve both have gotten a late start due to the stress.”  
“Hm. Mind if I make some coffee?” Miss Jenny says, as she enters the kitchen.  
I start to answer, but something in the living room catches my eye. Abbie’s discarded shirt, on the sofa, near mine.  
“Help yourself.” I say, as I make my way around the sofa.  
I swipe the clothes on the floor and kick them under the ottoman.  
“And here I though…” Abbie starts, as she comes out of the hallway, but trails off when she sees Miss Jenny in the kitchen.  
“…Though you were talking to someone. Morning Jenny.”  
“Morning sis. Crane was…whoa….”  
“Whoa what? Abbie asks.  
“You…just gotta certain glow about you this morning.” Miss Jenny says.  
“Glow?” Abbie asks.  
“You look…satisfied.”  
“Well, I guess my sleepy was pretty good last night. Anyway, Crane was what?” Abbie says, bring the conversation back to Miss Jenny’s original topic.  
“He was just telling me why you’re late this morning.”  
“He was?” Abbie asks, with a pointed glare at me.  
“Yeah. If this Lilith stuff is taking a toil on you, you should take a break. Especially, in your case with your other version. Everyone will understand.”  
Abbie looks back to Miss Jenny. “Oh. That. I’m fine. Really. I’m no more stressed than anyone else. As for…her…well, I’m fine on that front too. Whatever Grace did, really helped. So, what brings you by?”  
“Just checking on you two.”  
“Right. Well, we’re on our way, as soon as Crane gets ready.”  
“Yes, I’m going on my way to the shower now. Excuse me.” I awkwardly leave the room and heads for the shower.  
Here’s hoping Abbie handles that better than I did.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
“What was that?” Jenny asks.  
“What was what?”  
“Crane.”  
“I didn’t notice anything.”  
Jenny squints her eyes at me. “You’re both acting weird. Did I interrupt another fight?”  
“No. We’re fine. Just lost track of time. Anyway, what’s happening back at cabin?”  
“Well, we haven’t heard anything from Lilith, but it’s only been a day. For all we know, they’re still looking for the witches. As for our spy problem, well, we’re still searching through agents, but most are coming back clean. It’s a pretty slow day.”  
“Please, in our world, slow days don’t exist. It’s just a matter of how hidden the surprises are.” I say.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Only, when Crane and I get to the cabin, I see how much Jenny wasn’t kidding. Half the team is searching through agents’ files and the other half are looking for ways to banish Lilith. After an hour or so of searching through files, I take a break.  
“Where are we on the Lilith front?” I ask Lara, who’s helping Grace surf through spells.  
“No where so far. Our grimoire was the only book that has the spell need so far. I tried to go to the library get more books, but once the librarian found out what I was looking for, that I was looking for spell books, that is, she kicked me out.”  
“What?” I ask.  
“Yeah, it’s the weirdest thing. Actually, strange things like that have been happening for the past two months now.”  
“Right. Whenever I hear people in town talk, it’s almost always about Lilin and how good she is.” Alex says.  
“Lilith must have placed a spell on the towns people who were at her ball.” Jenny says.  
“But it couldn’t have been everyone. What about Sheriff Reyes? She left early. Maybe we still have some allies in town?” I say.  
“How good of allies would they be? They don’t know about our world.” Diana points out.  
“Every little bit helps. We merely need the right excuse. Sheriff Reyes believed us about Moloch’s cult.” Crane says.  
“If it boils down to it, we could always tell her the truth.” Cynthia says.  
“Or rather, show. Seeing is believing.” Irving adds.  
A knock on the door cuts off our conversation. We all freeze. Diana is the first to slowly reach for her gun.  
“Calm down. I sense a friendly on the other side.” Grace says.  
Crane slowly cracks the door, before opening it and letting Agent Foster in.  
“Hey. It’s a slow day on my end, so I figured I’d stop by and see if you needed any help.” She says.  
“How’d you know where we were?” Diana asks.  
“Your receptionist at the Vault. I couldn’t get anything out of her until I showed her my badge.”  
“Did anything on David come back?” Crane asks.  
“Not yet, the machine keeps erroring out. So, how can I help?”  
“Well, I was about to go talk to Sheriff Reyes, if you wanna ride along.” I say.  
“Sure.” Foster says.  
“You were?” Crane asks.  
“Yes, we need to know if we can count on her, or at the very least, see what she knows about Lilith.”  
“Are you sure we should be separating? We know Lilith needs you and Miss Jenny.” Crane says.  
“It’s just a trip to town. Besides, she’s too busy looking for the other witches to worry about us right now.” I say.  
“Can I just…can I talk to you?” Crane asks.  
“Sure.”  
I follow Crane to the bedroom, where he closes the door.  
“You’re taking Agent Foster with you?”  
“Yeah, so?”  
“So, why would we not go? Are you starting to regret last night?”  
I let out a small chuckle. “Crane, I told you, I regret nothing. And I meant that. I still mean it. I just think some separation would be good right now. Honestly, I…I’m still very…emotional right now, and nothing sounds more appealing than car sex right now.”  
Crane lets out a surprised laugh.  
“I just think we need time to digest…what happened. If only so we can be professional at work.”  
“Professional.” Crane echoes.  
“Yes. At work, you’re Agent Crane and I’m Agent Mills, leaders of Agency 355. At home, you’re Crane and I’m Abbie, you lieutenant.” I say, with emphases on how he says it.  
Crane’s hands come to rest on my hips and he pulls me towards him. “And what are we right now?”  
“Right now?” I repeat.  
“Yes.” Crane says and begins nuzzling my neck.  
“Right now, Lieutenant Abbie and Crane are standing in a room you once shared with your…ex, while our colleagues are just in the other room.”  
Crane groans and leans back. “Bit of a mood killer huh.”  
“Mm. maybe just a bit.” I say with a laugh.  
Crane’s hands drop from my waist.  
“Okay, fine. I’ll stay here and see if perhaps we can uncover any other of Lilith’s spies. What are you going to say to Sheriff Reyes?”  
“First, I need to see what she knows, if anything. If she’s clean, well, I’m gonna tell her the truth.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“How are you parents?” I ask Foster, on our way to town.  
“They’re better. I don’t fear leaving them alone anymore. English is slowly coming back to them.”  
“That’s great. You’ll let us know if you need any help though. I know that’s gotta be tough.”  
“Thanks, but we’re fine. It gets easier every day. It won’t be long now, before they’re at one hundred percent.”  
“Good.” I say.  
“So…what was that back at the cabin?”  
“What do you mean?” I ask.  
“You know what I mean. With Crane. What was that about?”  
“Oh, he just wanted to know what I was going to tell Sheriff Reyes.”  
“And he had to do it in private?”  
“You know Crane, he’s weird like that.”  
“Mm-hm. So, you and Crane get together yet?”  
I just barely keep from loosing control of the car.  
“Where did that come from?” I stutter.  
Foster shrugs. “Well, it wasn’t too long ago when Crane basically told me you were his better half. And Jenny told me what you said Betsy Ross said about Crane’s heart belonging to you. And what Pandora said to Crane. How you were his hope, his everything and how he loved you.”  
“Jenny has quite the motor mouth.” I mutter, a tad bit irritated.  
Foster shrugs again. “Besides that, you have a certain glow about you today.”  
“Glow? What glow?”  
“A very radiant glow considering the shit ton of work you have. So, what’s up?”  
“Please. The same can be said of you. What’s up with you? Are you dating anyone?” I ask, changing the topic.  
“Nice way to change the subject.” Foster retorts with an eye roll.  
“Oh, what, you get to pry into my personal life but I can’t do the same?” I tease.  
“Fine. If you must know, I am dating someone. She’s actually watching my parents right now.”  
“So, that means…you told her…”  
“Yeah, she knows all about our work. She’s the one that monitors things that go bump in the night when Reynolds and I can’t. Along with Reynolds’s assistant and another.”  
I smile. “How is Danny?”  
“He’s good. He’s…on his honeymoon.”  
“Honeymoon? He’s married?”  
“Yeah. After…after your death, he was a mess. He tried so hard to get you back. He tried to come to Crane and Jenny for help, but Jenny was MIA—understandably after Joe—and Crane went missing. I tried to pull him out of it, but he wouldn’t stop until he found you. Tina was ultimately the one to do it. They got really close, and well, the rest is history.”  
“I’m…I’m happy for him.” I say.  
“Abbie—”  
“I am. Really. He deserves to be happy. So, I take it she’s the other person to help out when you and Danny can’t?”  
“Yeah, along with her assistant. That’s our team.” Foster says.  
I pull up at the station. “I’m proud of you guys for keeping up the fight on your end.”  
“Well, it’s not like we could just forget it.” Foster chuckles, as we get out.  
“Abs? What are you doing here?” Someone calls out in the hallway of the precinct  
I turn around.  
“Luke? What are you doing here?”  
“Collecting a file for NYPD. You?” He says.  
“On assignment for HS.”  
“Homeland Security? I thought you wanted to go to Quantico?”  
“I was with the FBI for a while. Then I got an offer from HS and I took it. How…how are you here? Last I’d heard, you took a break from police work in general?”  
“Well, after I was cleared of everything…I did take a break. Once I had processed…everything, I thought about giving up on all of it. But I figured there are people who need protecting from bad...people, and I shouldn’t stop my work because of what happened to me. So, I tried out for the NYPD and made it.”  
“Hm.”  
“Hi, I’m Agent Foster.” She says, and holds out her hand.  
“Oh, sorry. Foster, this is Luke Morales, we use to work together. Morales, this is Sophie Foster.”  
“I see you finally ditched the Brit.” He says as he shakes Foster’s hand.  
“No, Crane’s still around. He’s back at HQ on assignment. Foster here is with the FBI. We’re just helping each other out.”  
“As you moved up, so did he huh?”  
“That’s how a partnership works. Do you know where Sheriff Reyes is?”  
“In her office.” He answers.  
“Well, we should be going then.” I say.  
“Yeah. It was good to see you Abs.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Abs?” Foster asks, after he walks away.  
That was weird. Morales just barley survived what happened to him all those years ago. He should be scared for life. I make a mental note to check that out later.  
“That is a story for another time.” I say.  
Foster snorts.  
“You might wanna hang out here. Reyes doesn’t really take to strangers.” I say once we’re outside her office.  
Foster nods. I give a short knock on Reyes’s door. She calls for me to come in.  
“Mills? This is a surprise. What can I do for you?” Sheriff Reyes says as I enter the office.  
“Hey Sheriff. I was working a case in the area and a lot of clues keep pointing back to your new resident. I was wondering what you could tell me about Lilin.”  
“She’s nothing special. Well, nothing suspicious. She’s actually been very helpful to the community. She donated over twenty thousand dollars to different charities within the community, including to the schools and nursing homes. She’ll even sit with people in the nursing home. She’s a joy.” Reyes says. "  
“And you haven’t noticed any…weird behavior?” I ask.  
“Not at all. Like I said, she’s a joy. What are you getting at Mills?”  
“Nothing. Like I said, just investigating a case that keeps leading back to her. I’m just covering all my bases.”  
“Hm. Well, Lilin isn’t…strange at all, outside of living in Fredricks Manor. But if you need any help with your case, I’d be more than happy to assist.”  
“That won’t be necessary. Thanks for your time.” I say.  
“Hm.” Reyes answers, with a small smile, before looking back down at her work on her desk.  
“So, did you learn anything?” Foster asks, as I come out of the office.  
“It’s hard to tell. Like everyone who was at Lilith’s ball, she speaks highly of her, but she did offer to help if we needed any.”  
“So are we going to tell her anything?”  
“Since I can’t make heads or tails of her, not just yet.”  
“Should we keep an eye on her?”  
“Nah. Right now, we have more important things to focus on than if Reyes is under Lilith’s spell. At the moment anyway.”  
“I just don’t get it. Why put the town under a spell when your goal is to make them succumb to you willingly.” Foster says as we step outside.  
“Take away their free will, and you take away their reason to doubt why they follow you or try to ask for help.” I say.  
“Hm.” Foster replies.  
I start to say more, but her phone rings.  
“Oh, I have to take this. It’s Amy, my facial recognition guy…girl…you get—”  
“Yeah. Go ahead.” I say with a chuckle  
As Foster steps away to answer her phone, I go to start the car.  
“Abbie!”  
I turn around.  
“David? What are you doing here?”  
“I’m doing double time between the Vault and the Archives since Agent Cals went MIA. Didn’t Crane tell you?” He says as he approaches me.  
“No. I’ll have to ask him about that.”  
“So what are you doing out here? It’s been months since I’ve seen you at the Vaults.”  
“On assignment down here.” I answer vaguely.  
“What kinda assignment?”  
“Special. Look, I gotta go, but I’ll be sure to talk to Crane about your double shifts and see if he can cut it back.”  
“I don’t mind it.” David says.  
“Yeah, well you shouldn’t have to work that much. I’ll talk to him about it.” I say and turn around to get in the car. Especially since we don’t trust you.  
“Abbie, one more thing.”  
Before I can turn back around, David grabs me from behind and places a cloth over my face. I try to fight him off, but I can’t. It’s like, as soon as he touched me, my body went weak and I felt sick. The last thing I hear before unconsciousness is David saying,  
“Yeah, I got her.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
I drag my hand down my face after staring at the last of our agents’ files.  
“They’re clean. They’re all clean.” Miss Alex says.  
“Now we’re just waiting on Agent Foster’s report of David.” I say.  
No sooner than I say her name, she comes rushing into the cabin.  
“Sophie, what’s wrong?” Miss Jenny asks.  
“Where’s the Lieutenant?” I ask.  
“She...she’s gone.”  
“What?” Miss Jenny says.  
“Gone where?” I ask.  
“I took a call from one of my colleagues. I know why David’s file came back so clean. David Espinosa doesn’t exist. I headed back to the car to tell Abbie, but she was gone. The car door was open and the keys were on the ground.”  
“Sophie, where is Abbie?” I ask.  
“I…I don’t know.”  
“Let’s not lose our heads.” Grace says.  
“Abbie’s missing, and you’re telling us to calm down?!” Miss Jenny retorts.  
“Abigail is a strong woman. She can handle herself. We, however, can do nothing for her if we act rashly.”  
My phone rings, cutting off any further arguments. Abbie’s name and picture flashes across the screen.  
“It’s Abbie.” I say.  
I put the phone on speaker and set it on the table.  
“Abbie.” I say.  
“Abbie? So imformal. What happened to Lieutenant?” David taunts from the other end.  
I clench my jaw. “What have you done with her?”  
“Nothing…yet. We need the other sister before we can start anything.”  
“Even with them, you still don’t have the three other witches.” I shoot back.  
David snorts. “Deliver Jennifer Mills to us.”  
“No.”  
“We may not be able to start the ritual yet, but there are many other things we can do to Abbie in the meantime.”  
“If you hurt her, I swear I’ll—”  
“You’ll want? What are you going to do to the Horseman of Pestilence?”  
“Horseman?” Agent Thomas says.  
“Don’t touch her.” I say.  
“You have our demands.”  
David’s final words are an incantation, then the call drops.  
“What was that? What did he say?” Mrs. Irving asks.  
“Molly!” Miss Macy shouts.  
Miss Molly has fallen to the floor and begins to convulse. Agent Thomas rushes to her side.  
“What’s happening to her?” She asks Grace.  
“It has to be something Lilith did.” Grace answers as she kneels beside Miss Molly.  
“I thought you said she was fine?!”  
“I said there was no vampiric compulsion. This is something else. Something undetectable.” Grace says when Miss Molly stops shaking.  
“We should get her off the floor.” Captain Irving says.  
“The bedroom.” I say opening the door.  
Master Jake lifts Miss Molly off the floor and places her gently on the bed in the next room. Agent Thomas sits beside her.  
“Can you help her?” Agent Thomas asks Grace.  
“I can try, but without knowing what was done to her, it will be hard to reverse it.” Grace answers.  
“We have to find Lilith.” Miss Lara says.  
“She’s at Fredricks Manor, right?” Agent Thomas says, never taking her eyes of Miss Molly.  
“Surely she wouldn’t be keeping Abbie there. We already know that location. Rather, she knows that would be the first place we looked.” Mrs. Irving says.  
“Jake, where did you and Alex say you were tied up?” Captain Irving asks.  
“In an abandoned mental hospital…not far from here.”  
“Lead the way, Master Jake.” I say.  
“I’m staying here.” Agent Thomas says.  
“Agent Thomas, I understand you’re worried, believe me, we all are, but—”  
“Crane, my daughter’s been rendered unconscious after seizing and we don’t know what’s wrong with her. I’m not leaving her.”  
“We need all hands on deck. If anyone’s staying here, it’s Miss Jenny.”  
“What? No, I need to help get Abbie back.” Miss Jenny says.  
“Miss Jenny, Lilith wants you. Clearly she’s found a way to complete the ritual without the last three witches. It’s not safe for you.”  
“Crane, I’m not staying here while my sister suffers at Lilith’s hands.”  
“And I’m not going anywhere while my daughter suffers at Lilith’s hands.” Agent Thomas adds.  
I sigh.  
“I’ll stay with Molly, Diana.” Miss Macy offers.  
Agent Thomas looks at her.  
“Crane’s right, everyone’s needed, including Jenny. I’ll stay here and watch over Molly. You should go, if only to see if Lilith will tell you what she did.”  
Agent Thomas hesitates. “You’ll call me if anything changes?”  
“Of course.”  
“Are we all in agreement?” Miss Jenny asks.  
Everyone agrees. Hesitantly, I do too.  
“Let’s go.” I say.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I come to tied down to a vertical mental table of sorts.  
As I view my surroundings, it looks like I’m in an operating room of some kinds.  
“Hello Abbie.”  
“Lilith. What the hell are you doing? Let me go.”  
“You know, I was just thinking about our bargain. I mean, I kept my end of the deal. I brought you back and I was fully prepared to give Crane his soul back…on the condition that you help me. But you’ve been rather shitty on holding up your side of the deal. Now, you tell me why I should hold up mine any longer.”  
“Because you don’t have the last three witches and I can get them to you.”  
Lilith laughs her musically scary laugh. “Abbie…you wouldn’t be here if I didn’t already have what I need.”  
I frown. “What?”  
“The moment your disciple dropped Dean, Kelly, and Sasha off at the airport, they circled back to Fredricks Manor to join their family. You see, they understand loyalty and the importance of keeping a deal.”  
I stare at her.  
Lilith laughs again.  
“If you could only see the look on your face. It gives me such joy.”  
“How…”  
“Abbie, your ancestors were the only ones who were false disciples in my coven. After their betrayal, I made sure to look. All others in my coven, were true followers. The only reason I couldn’t find them was because the Brotherhood put a spell on their families to keep them hidden from me. Your spell, however, overrode theirs, in turn allowing my followers to find me.”  
“No…”  
“When will you all understand; I don’t have to do anything, because you all do what I need for me.” Lilith taunts.  
“Stop.” I say.  
“Like right now. I have one witch and the other Witness will deliver the last one I need by nightfall.”  
“Lilith please—”  
“Now all there’s left to do is wait. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun while I wait.”  
Lilith points out her finger at me. Pain so unimaginable crashes down on my skull. I try hard not to scream out but I can’t help it. I don’t stop until Lilith lowers her hand. Then I’m left gasping for air.  
“I can’t wait until Crane sees what I’ve done to you. It’s so thrilling to see an enraged Ichabod Crane. Though I wonder if he’ll still feel the same once he finds out the truth of what you’ve done.”  
“Lilith…”  
“You see Abbie, this is where it all comes crashing down.”  
I begin screaming again as Lilith starts her torture over again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jenny’s POV  
It’s just a little over evening by the time we get to the abandoned hospital.  
“What happens when we get in there? Lilith’s not just going to hand Abbie over without a fight.” Miss Alex says.  
“Grace and I will apprehend Lilith. The rest of you will stand against any resistance Lilith has.” Crane say.  
“Crane—” I start, but Grace cuts in.  
“Jennifer should come with us. Two witches are better than one.”  
“I am trying to prevent—” Crane start.  
“I know Crane. And I get it. But she’s my sister and I’m not going to lose her again without trying to fight for her this time.”  
He sighs. “Fine. We should make haste.”  
We exist the car and hesitantly enter the building. No one’s in the lobby and all is dark, but we still approach cautiously.  
“Where was the lab?” Crane whispers to Jake.  
“In the back. Just behind the main double doors; the first pair of double doors to the right.” He whispers back.  
The lights suddenly all come on. We’re now surrounded by all kinds of demons. Leading them are Orion, David, Henry, and…  
“Abraham…” Crane says.  
“Hello Ichabod.” He says.  
“It’s not possible. Pandora destroyed your skull.” I Jenny say.  
“Lilith’s powers overrule Pandora.” Abraham says, never taking his eyes off Crane.  
Abraham then takes a sword out. I hear the team guns’ cock. Abraham lowers the sword to the floor and slides it to Crane.  
“I’m not going to fight you. Our score has long been settled.” Crane says.  
“You came,” Abraham says and takes out another sword, this one dripping with blood. “For Abigail. I’m afraid she’s in no condition to see you.”  
“You didn’t. Lilith still needs her.” I say.  
“I told you, there are many other things we can do to Abbie without killing her.” David says.  
Crane grabs the sword and rush Abraham.  
“We don’t have time for this.” Diana says.  
“I agree.” Henry says.  
He flings out his arms out the same time Grace does. At the same time, the demons rush us. I take aim and fire at the demons nearing us, all the while backing up so that I’m back-to-back with Grace.  
“Jeremy you’re so much better than this.” Grace says, struggling to hold him off.  
“We can’t fight fate, now can we Grace?” Henry taunts.  
“Some can.”  
Henry manages to overpower Grace and we both go flying across the room. Henry then shouts something in Latin.  
“What did he say?” I ask as I help Grace up.  
Suddenly, I’m grabbed by two people. Deloris, the Liberian, and Tommy, Sheriff Reyes’s deputy. They look like they’re sleep walking. Grace starts to blast them back but is grabbed from behind by one of Lilith’s demons.  
I don’t want to hurt them so I don’t use my magic against them, Instead, I elbow Deloris in the face. I start to go for Tommy’s face, but someone grabs my arm. Suddenly, I feel weak and sick.  
“I had hoped you wouldn’t put up so much of a fight against your fellow townspeople.” David says.  
“No matter. You can’t fight me.” He says and tightens his hold on my arm, making me feel sicker.  
“Take her to Lilith.” David says to Deloris, who is back on her feet.  
That’s the last thing I hear before I black out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Crane’s POV  
“Ichabod!” I hear Grace call me.  
I shove Abraham away by kicking him in the gut.  
“Grace. Where’s Jenny?”  
“They took her. We need to make our way to the lab now. The rest of the team can handle this.”  
“What do you think I’ve been trying to do?”  
“I think you’ve been trying to avenge Abigail when that’s not even her blood on his sword.”  
“What?”  
“I was going to tell you but you rushed Abraham and the fighting started so quickly, that I didn’t have a chance.”  
Abraham is coming towards us with Orion.  
“Well, they’re blocking the way, so if you have any solutions, by all means.”  
Grace growls. She then throws her arms out and fling Abraham and Orion across the room, knocking them into Henry and David, who have cornered Agent Thomas and Lara.  
“Let’s go.” She says.  
Grace and I make our way to the back rooms. Before we can make our way into the lab, Grace stops.  
“What is it?” I ask.  
“Something’s wrong…”  
“What?”  
“Hello Ichabod.”  
Grace and I turn around.  
“Katrina.”  
“Nice to see you as well Grace.”  
“How…No…This is another vision.” I say.  
Katrina chuckles. “One Grace happens to be seeing as well? Go on Grace, tell him I’m real. That him stabbing me didn’t kill me.”  
I turn to Grace.  
She gives a small shake of her head. “It’s not an illusion.”  
“Then…the vision…in the kitchen…”  
Katrina laughs. “I was messing with you. I got bored and wanted to see if you still cared.”  
“How?”  
“Lilith offered me a chance and I took it. Would you like to know who else took her deal?”  
“Why did you take it, Katrina? You had such promise. I had hoped so bad that you’d be able to fight fate.” Grace says.  
I look at her. “What do you mean?”  
“You of all people should know one can’t fight fate.” Katrina says.  
“I’m the very proof that people can. I survived a fire I was meant to die in; I made my way to family members long after me though I was supposed to die long before them, even after the fire.”  
“Well bully for you. You didn’t have to watch your husband fall all over himself for another woman. No, I’m where I’m supposed to be and I don’t regret a thing.”  
“Really,” I cut in. “Nothing? Not turning on the people who trusted you, trying to kill me, to kill Abbie?”  
“Abbie, always Abbie with you! You want to know something, Ichabod? You influenced me, more than anything, to take this path. You, with your insistent fawning over Abbie. And when she wasn’t in your presence, she was always in your mind. In your dreams. In your fantasies.”  
I clench my jaw. “I would never have acted on anything.”  
“But you did!”  
“What?”  
Katrina scoffs. “She never told you. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?”  
“Katrina—” Grace says, but before she can say or do more, Katrina says an incantation.  
I’m no longer in the entrance to the lab. I’m back at the cabin. The door opens and Abbie comes in with…me. A drunk me.  
“I had fun tonight Lieutenant. I rather enjoyed our duet.”  
“I see. You enjoyed it so much, you outdid yourself drinking tonight.” Abbie says as she gets me to the couch.  
“What better way to celebrate our beautiful harmony?” I ask with a drunken nod.  
Abbie chuckles as I plop down to the couch, bringing her with me.  
“Alright, let’s get you a bucket.” Abbie says and tries to stand.  
I don’t let her though. When she goes to move away, I grab her arm, stopping her.  
“What is it?” She asks.  
I lean in to her.  
“Crane—”  
Abbie’s cut off when I kiss her. At first, she doesn’t move. After a few seconds, Abbie begins to accept my kiss. When my hand moves to her waist, Abbie pulls back.  
She sighs. “Crane, we shouldn’t. Wouldn’t want to wake your wife. Katrina.” She says.  
“Katrina…” My glazed eyes show some recognition to the name.  
“Katrina.”  
Abbie gets up.  
“Why don’t I get that bucket.” She says.  
Suddenly, I’m pulled out of the memory and now I’m standing back in the hospital.  
“Katrina…” I say.  
“I’m rather impressed with Abbie walking away. It’s you that hurt me so. But ever since then, I’ve watched you grow closer and closer to her.”  
I shake my head. “I don’t remember that. I was drunk for heaven’s sake. It was a mistake. You were my wife Katrina; I loved you. You speak of my feelings for Abbie, but did you ever really love me?”  
Katrina chuckles again. “You loved what you were enchanted to love.”  
“What?”  
“Katrina.” Grace says.  
“I needed you to follow the path you were meant to. At the time, that meant getting you to switch sides. A love spell was simple enough for the young and noble Ichabod Crane, with the sense of freedom over tyranny. As for if I ever loved you, well…I was to make sure you stayed your course and if any threats to that course were to come up, I was to eliminate them. Like, Mary Wells for instance.”  
I stare at her.  
Katrina smirks. “You were my mission Ichabod, nothing more, nothing less and I never lost sight of that mission. The lovemaking was good though. And hey, you gifted me with the best thing of all, my son.”  
“Did you know about this?” I ask Grace.  
Grace lowers her eyes. I see all I need to in her gesture and turn back to Katrina.  
“I never knew you at all, did I?” I say.  
Katrina shrugs “It’s no matter now; our story is done.”  
I clench my jaw again. “Yes, it is. Where’s Abbie and Jenny?”  
“Right through that door. Before you go to them, though, you should know something.”  
“What?”  
“Abbie’s no different than me. Do you really think Abbie wasn’t conscious when Diana followed her though the woods that first night? That Lilith made a deal with Abbie’s inner darkness? No. They’re one in the same. Abbie consciously made a deal with Lilith to return her to the land of the living. In return, Abbie would spy on you and the rest of the team, all the while working to bring Lilith back. I mean, who do you think let Orion out of the cell, Monica? She was nothing more than a glorified walkie talkie.”  
“Why should I believe you?” I say.  
“Because, for the first time in my life, I’m being completely honest with you and you know it.”  
“I’m taking the Mills sisters and we’re leaving, just as soon as we put Lilith down. Right after I put you down.” I say and aim my gun at her.  
“If that’s what you think. But you’ll be one member short.” Katrina says.  
Katrina speaks an incantation in Romani Greek and sends Grace flying into the wall. She falls to the floor, unconscious. Before I can react, I’m hit from behind.  
The last thing I see is Abraham walking to Katrina.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I come to tied tp a chair in the lab. Before me, Abbie and Jenny are cuffed to vertical mental tables. Lilith stands between them. Surrounding them are eleven people, including Sasha Homes, Dean Mission, Kelly Nether, and Katrina.  
“No.” I say.  
“Hello Ichabod. Just in time for the big finale.” Lilith says.  
“Let them go.”  
“Why would I do that? The Mills sisters are about to be part of something great; you are about to witness something great.”  
Lilith looks to Katrina as she takes a seat between Abbie and Jenny. “Let’s begin.”  
I begin to struggle with my bonds as the coven begins to chant. Katrina chants differently then the rest of the coven and then both Abbie and Jenny’s eyes glaze over white and they’re breathing speeds up.  
“No!”  
I struggle harder with my bonds as Abbie and Jenny begin to chant along with the rest of the coven.  
Lilith’s eyes glaze over white right before her head falls in a bow. The chanting stops and my bonds release me just as the team rushes in. But it’s too late. Lilith’s head rises and her eyes glow white.  
“What’s happening?” Miss Alex asks.  
“Did we just lose?” Master Jake asks.  
Abbie and Jenny’s cuffs open and they fall to their knees with the rest of the coven who now bows before Lilith. Captain Irving and I rush to the Mills sisters. He helps Jenny up and I help Abbie.  
“Yes, Witnesses and Disciples, I believe you should consider this a lost.” Lilith says.  
“You have what you want, now let us go.” Abbie says in a weak, tired voice.  
“You all may go for now. You’re spent and another win now just wouldn’t be as fun without a fair fight.” Lilith taunts.  
“My daughter, what did you—”  
“Molly’s fine now. She was just a tool to get you all here quickly. It worked.”  
“If you think we’re just going to walk out of here, while you—” I start.  
“You’d do best to remember who you’re talking to. You all would. I’m sure Katrina’s told you by now, but I’m only showing you mercy because of Abbie’s help. But it does have its limits.”  
“Let’s go.” Abbie says.  
She looks like she can barely stay conscious.  
“I’d listen to her.” Lilith says. “Oh but Abbie, a deal’s a deal.”  
Lilith snaps her fingers and a strange feeling occurs within me. It only lasts a few seconds.  
“What did you do?” I ask.  
“Crane’s soul is once again his own.”  
I stare at her. “What?”  
“What about their sanities?” Abbie asks weakly and leans more on me.  
I have to get her out of here.  
Lilith laughs. “Abbie, I could never touch them.”  
“What?” Abbie says and moves away from me.  
“I mean, I could have with Crane, but only if he died. As for Jenny, no.”  
“You could never break them.” She says, now standing in front of Lilith.  
“No, I couldn’t. But I can break you.”  
Lilith twists her wrist toward Abbie and she immediately goes limp. I catch her just before she hits the ground.  
“What did you you?!” Jenny says.  
“Leave. I will not say it again nor will I let you leave if you don’t go now.”  
I pick Abbie up. “We will be back.”  
“I look forward to it.” Lilith says.  
“As do I.” Katrina taunts.  
I glare at both of them.  
“Let’s go.” Grace says.  
I make sure all of my team is out before leaving the room with Abbie.  
“We’re just going to leave with her at full power?” Master Jake asks once we’re outside.  
I look at the building and the demons staring back at us.  
“We’re out manned and down two people. We need to recoup and replan. And we clearly need to have a talk with members of this team.” I glance towards Grace then down at Abbie.  
“What about Abbie? Do we take her to a hospital?” Mrs. Irving asks.  
“No. we need to get Abbie back home where we can monitor her. Lilith didn’t just render her unconscious; she broke Abbie’s sanity. We have no idea what’s happening to her or what the darkness inside her is doing to her.” Grace says.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abbie’s POV  
I come to face down on a bed. I groan as I sit up and look around.  
Where am I?  
I look around, but I don’t recognize the place.  
“Crane?” I call out.  
I exit the room the room.  
“Jenny? Grace?”  
No one answers.  
“Anyone?”  
As I come into the kitchen, I see a teenage girl and boy at the table. They look like twins. Both have soft curly hair, though the boy’s curls are looser and lighter than the girls, light brownish skin, and the same facial features, except the boy has blue eyes and the girl has brown eyes.  
“Morning Mom.” The girl says.  
“Mom?”  
“There you are love, how are you this morning?” Crane says as he comes into the kitchen.  
He kisses my forehead.  
Love? Crane’s never called me that.  
“What is this?” I ask.  
“This,” I look over to see the other Abbie staring at me with an evil smirk. “is your family.”  
End of Episode Eight


End file.
